Aelys Humphreys

Aelys Humphreys is a Lecturer at Stockholm University's Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences. Leading the Group Humphreys and collaborating with institutions like the Bolin Centre for Climate Research, her work focuses on evolutionary plant biology, climate adaptation, and extinction dynamics. Key projects include

• Mechanisms of cold tolerance evolution in grasses
• Geothermal warming effects on plant phenology
• Macroevolutionary patterns of plant extinction

Her research synthesizes phylogenetic analysis, climate modeling, and experimental botany to challenge assumptions about temperature constraints on plant distribution. Recent articles in PNAS and Nature Ecology & Evolution reveal unexpected plasticity in thermal tolerances across Poaceae and Amaranthaceae families. She supervises PhD students in projects spanning North Atlantic grass phylogeography to Madagascar grass taxonomic biases.

Teaching includes graduate courses on Plant Diversity and Evolution, Phylogenetics, and Biodiversity Dynamics. Current research is funded by Stockholm University's DEEP program and the Bolin Centre, with fieldwork conducted in Icelandic geothermal valleys and Madagascar's biodiversity hotspots.