The Christensen Fund Graduate Fellowship

The Christensen Fund Graduate Fellowship Program in Plant Conservation

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Deadline: Opening applications in October 2026 to be due December 15, 2026

The Whitney R. Harris World Ecology Center at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, in collaboration with Missouri Botanical Garden, is offering fully funded fellowship to students with strong leadership and research potential in applied plant conservation. This fellowship is available to individuals with applied plant conservation experience and strong academic credentials for studies leading to a M.S. or Ph.D. degree.

About the Fellowship
These 2-4 year fellowships (depending on degree program) are designed to attract and support the education of individuals who will make a significant difference in the development and application of plant conservation programs. The fellowships will provide recruitment and repatriation airfares, stipend, tuition fee waiver, mandatory fees, and the opportunity to apply for competitive research funds.

Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must:

• Hold a bachelor’s degree in biology or a related field.
• Demonstrate strong leadership skills and scientific potential in applied plant conservation.

Fellowship Benefits

• Recruitment and repatriation airfare
• A stipend to support living expenses for 2-4 years
• Tuition fee waiver for 2-4 years
• Access to competitive research funding opportunities
• Enrollment in specialized courses, workshops, and internships to enhance applied conservation expertise

Application Instructions
To apply for the Christensen Fund Graduate Fellowship in Plant Conservation:

1. Apply to UMSL's Graduate Program in Biology by December 1, 2026
2. Email the following to harriscenter@umsl.edu by December 15, 2026:
   1. CV
   2. 1-2 page statement
   3. Application form (Prospective Student Form or Current Student Form)
   4. Existing students should also include a letter of support from their current advisor
3. In your statement, outline research interests and how your goals align with the fellowship's mission. Be sure to also include:
   1. Potential for success in graduate school (GPA, LoRs) 
   2. Potential for impact on plant conservation post-graduation 
   3. Demonstrated capacity or potential for broader impacts (outreach activities and plan)
   4. Preference but not limited to tropical research  

This is a unique and competitive opportunity to contribute to plant conservation efforts and advance your career while working closely with our partner, the Missouri Botanical Garden. 

Application review, for admission/start in August 2027 will begin in December 2026.

For further information, please contact the Director of the Whitney R. Harris World Ecology Center, Dr. Aimee Dunlap at aimee.dunlap@umsl.edu.

Apply to the Graduate Program in Biology

Associated Harris Center Faculty

Christensen Fellows
Present

Alejandra Serna Sanchez (PhD, Colombia)
Raj Prasai (PhD, Nepal)

Past

Giulia de Gennaro (PhD, USA)
Belen Alvestegui (PhD, Bolivia)
Sebastian Forward (MS, USA)
Rachel Brant (PhD, USA) “Bee Brains: Dissecting pollinator behavior and the importance of plasticity in the face of changing environments”
Belen Alvestegui (MS, Bolivia) “Zygomorphic Flowers May Reduce Extinction Rates by Allowing Angiosperms to Occur in Low Abundances”
Estefania Fernandez (MS, Bolivia) "Effects of Forest Restoration on the Recovery of Dead Wood, Associated Arthropods, and Insect-mediated Wood Decomposition”
Amanda Wu (PhD, China) "The Ecology and Evolution of Species Rarity in Oaks (Quercus spp.)"
Daniel Tarazona-Ocana (MS, Peru) "Taxonomic Revision and Morphometric Analysis of Selected Anthurium (Araceae) Species From Bolivia and Peru"
Isabel Loza (PhD, Bolivia)
Miguel Chaves (PhD, Costa Rica) "The Role of Zingiberales Shared Evolutionary History and Leaf Traits in Structuring Rolled-leaf Beetle Assemblages in a Tropical Forest"
Serena Acha (PhD, Bolivia) "Vines in the Neotropics: diversification and historical biogeography in passion flowers"
Diana Gamba (PhD, Colombia) “Investigating Drivers of Genetic Structure in Plants: Global, Regional and Local Scales”
Rinchen Namgay (MS, Bhutan)
Rani Asmarayani (PhD, Indonesia) "Systematics of Malesian-Pacific Piper (Piperaceae)"
Oyomoare Osazuwa-Peters (PhD, Nigeria) "Ecological strategies and disturbance response of tropical forest trees: insight from functional trait variation"
Heritiana Ranarivelo (PhD, Madagascar)
Deby Arifiani (Graduate Certificate in Tropical Biology and Conservation, Indonesia)
Monica Carlsen (PhD, Venezuela) "Understanding the origin and diversification of Anthurium species with palmately-lobed leaves."
Corneille Ewango (MS, Democratic Republic of Congo) "Diversity, distribution and edaphic specialization of vascular plants in the Ituri Forest inselbergs"
Cynthia Hong Wa (MS, Madagascar) "Taxonomy and conservation of Leptolaena sensu lato"
David Kenfack (PhD, Cameroon) "Systematics and evolution of Carapa (Meliaceae)"
Diego Salazar (PhD, Costa Rica) "The effect of anti-herbivore mechanisms on latitudinal patterns of plant host-herbivore interactions"
Monica Soria (MS, Ecuador) "Avian seed dispersers of invasive Rubus in Galápagos"
Pagi Toko (PhD, Papua New Guinea)
Elvis Valderrama (MS, Peru) "Aboveground carbon storage and floristics in contrasting peatlands (minerotrophic and ombrotrophic) in Peruvian Lowland Amazonia"
Dilys Vela (MS, Peru) "Systematic study and external and internal morphological variation of Calophyllum L. in South America"
Felipe Zapata (PhD, Colombia) "Species limits, phylogenetic history and diversification in the genus Escallonia (Escalloniaceae)"

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