Office - 117 Biology Building

Lab - 236 Biology Building

I am an evolutionary biologist and plant systematist, and my lab studies the evolution of present-day plant biodiversity.  Although plants cannot move, they are a dynamic group of organisms that boast an extraordinary diversity of shapes and forms, and over time, have come to be distributed across the globe.  I want to understand how this diversity evolved, where major groups of plants originated, and how they dispersed to their present-day locations. My work integrates molecular phylogenetics, morphology, biogeography, and pollination ecology to address these questions. My research occurs not only in the lab but also in the field to study plants in their natural habitat. Since my first field studies in Hawaii as an undergraduate, I have continued to study plants in Colombia, Ecuador, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Tanzania, and Vietnam.  Currently, my study of plants is focused on three groups; Viburnum, Ficus (figs), and Cannabaceae (hemp family). Please see my research page for more details.

Phone - 609.771.2672

Email - clementw at tcnj.edu