Dr. Elizabeth Kellogg, the E. Desmond Lee and Family Professor of Botanical Studies, established the Molecular Systematics Laboratory at the University of Missouri - St. Louis in 1998. A goal of the E. Desmond Lee and Family Foundation is the creation of a facility to stimulate interactions between university faculty and students, the Missouri Botanical Garden, and the community.
Research carried out in the lab involves using DNA sequence data to discover relationships among different kinds of plants (Systematics). We also study the genetic and developmental changes that have occurred during evolution, which have led to differences in plants (Development and Molecular Evolution).
Post-doctoral members of the lab along with graduate students represent sixteen countries. Their individual plant studies include: grasses (Poacae), Coffee family (Rubiaceae), St. John's Wort Family (Clusiaceae), Arum Family (Araceae), Winteraceae, mustards (Brassicaceae), Moonseed Family (Menispermaceae), Meliaceae, and Escalloniaceae.