- Profile
Lawrence Kelly has worn many hats in 22 years at the New York Botanical Garden. He is vice president for science administration, the Susan E. Lynch director of graduate studies, and editor-in-chief of Flora Neotropica, as well as overseeing the publications of the NYBG Press. In addition, Kelly has received adjunct appointments with Yale University, Fordham University, and the doctoral faculty for the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.
Lawrence received his BS in ecology and systematic biology from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and a PhD in systematic botany from Cornell University. After graduating from Cornell, he worked for five years as investigador asociado ‘C’ (associate researcher) for the Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Kelly then joined NYBG, where his research and expertise focus on the evolution and classification of flowering plants, primarily in the birthwort family (Aristolochiaceae), the sweetleaf family (Symplocaceae), and some members of the kiwi family (Actinidiaceae). He is also interested in the flora of Mexico and Central America, and is a member of the team working on the New York City EcoFlora project, whose mission is to preserve and protect native plants and use data on the flora to inform policy.