Botanical Museomics - Rønsted group

Plants and people are tightly linked. We depend on plants for a healthy global environment and healthy people from crops to medicines. Plant diversity has evolved over millions of years, and in the anthropocene, people have domesticated plants and brought valued plants and weeds across the globe.

But why are some plant lineages more successful than others? How do plants interact with pollinators, seed dispersers, herbivores, and cope with diseases? Which plants are most useful for food and medicine? What happens to plant diversity under future climate change? How can museum collections help predict and sustain our future? How do we best protect plant diversity and ensure sustainable use? 

Our research addresses these questions using museum collections, fieldwork, genomics, bioinformatics, chemical analysis, bioactivity studies, ecology, morphology, and ethnobotany. We strive to produce innovative, visible and renowned research of high standard in an international, collaborative, vibrant and supportive environment. We contribute to make research exciting for all. 

Nina Rønsted is also an associated researcher at the National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) in Hawaii supporting collaboration between the museum and NTBG in areas of research, conservation, collections and education including joint PhD students and opportunities for MSc student projects.

• Link to Publication list
• Link to Herbarium C
• Link to National Tropical Botanical Garden, Hawaii

Research Area and Activities