Dr. Peter H. Raven

Director, Missouri Botanical Garden                                               Professor, Washington University at St. Louis

• National Medal of Science
• National Academy of Sciences, Member
• President, American Association for the Advancement of Science
• President’s Committee of Advisers on Science and Technology
• Chairman, National Geographic Society, Committee, Research & Exploration
• International Prize for Biology, Government of Japan
• The Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement
• Volvo Environment Prize

Dr. Raven’s primary research interests are the systematics, evolution and biogeography of the plant family Onagraceae, which has become a powerful model for understanding patterns and processes of plant evolution in general. Other interests include plant biogeography — the evolutionary history of entire biota and the individual taxa found in certain regions — and the ways in which these organisms have been influenced by continental movements. Dr. Raven has developed a leading center for botanical research, education, and horticultural display at the Missouri Botanical Garden. The major emphasis of his research is in the tropics, where much of the biotic diversity of the earth is concentrated.