Pamela Soltis ’80 will speak at Central College commencement May 13. Soltis is distinguished professor and curator of molecular systematics and evolutionary genetics in the Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida.
Last year, Soltis was elected to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences (NAS), one of the highest honors awarded to scientists in the U.S. Established by Congress in 1863, the NAS provides independent advice to the nation on matters related to science and technology. Scientists are elected by their peers for membership, based on outstanding contributions to research. Nearly 500 NAS members have won the Nobel Prize.
Soltis also serves as director of the recently formed University of Florida Biodiversity Institute.
A Pella native, Soltis studied biology at Central College, then completed her Ph.D. in botany from the University of Kansas. She taught 14 years at Washington State University, then joined the University of Florida faculty in 2000.
Soltis’ research focuses on biodiversity. She uses genomic methods and computational modeling to understand patterns and processes of plant evolution and identify conservation priorities. Much of her current work focuses on plant diversity and conservation in Florida, but her research has taken her throughout the U.S. and Canada and to Costa Rica, New Caledonia, Spain, China and Brazil. She also presents her research at both national and international conferences. Soltis is the author of seven books and more than 400 publications. Her work is funded by the National Science Foundation.
In addition, Soltis is a dedicated teacher and mentor for undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students. At the University of Florida, she is a member of the Genetics Institute’s executive committee and has served on the university’s graduate council. She has also served as president of the Botanical Society of America, president of the Society of Systematic Biologists, council member of the American Society of Plant Taxonomists, the Society for the Study of Evolution and the International Society for Phylogenetic Nomenclature, and associate editor of numerous journals. She has received several awards for contributions to the study of plant diversity, including the International Prize in Botany (Physiographic Society of Lund, Sweden), the Asa Gray Award (American Society of Plant Taxonomists) and the Darwin-Wallace Award (Linnean Society of London) — all jointly with her husband, University of Florida distinguished professor Douglas E. Soltis — and the Botanical Society of America’s top honor, its Merit Award.
For more details, view the commencement schedule.
