Heather has her masters degree in Botany from the University of Vermont, working with Dr. David Barrington on the systematics and evolution of polyploidy in the fern genus Polystichum. Heather's thesis research focused on several Hawaiian species, providing her with the opportunity to conduct field work on the Hawaiian islands. She comes to UC Berkeley as Manager of the Specht Lab and Research Associate in plant form and function. Heather misses the snows of Vermont, but not so much that she still carries a shovel around with her. When not in the lab, she can be found running along the shores of the bay with Otis, her trusted sidekick. Heather is a fern systematist at heart and really only just tolerates working with flowering plants...
Heather can be seen below actively pursuing her new research interests in california monocots.
