Cecile Gueidan

Dr. Cécile Gueidan is a Senior Researcher and Group Leader at the Australian National Herbarium, CSIRO, since 2014. Her career spans institutions including the Natural History Museum (London, UK), CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre (Netherlands), and CSIRO, with a focus on molecular systematics, taxonomy, and evolution of lichens.

• Education: PhD in Systematics and Evolution (Duke University, 2007), DEA in Systematics (Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 1999), Maitrise in Biology (Université Louis Pasteur, 1998)

Her research explores the genomics of lichen collections, symbiotic interactions in lichens, and the evolutionary origins of lichenization. She has led major projects on Australian lichens and biological soil crusts.

Dr. Gueidan’s work includes pioneering multigene phylogenies of lichen families like Verrucariaceae and Pyrenulaceae, integrating fossil calibrations for divergence time analysis, and advancing Next Generation Sequencing applications in lichenology.

• Scientific Awards:
  • Elias Magnus Fries Medal (2012)
  • Graduate Fellowship Award (2006)

She has secured grants from the Australian Biological Resources Study, Environomics FSP, and Bush Blitz Taxonomy Research Initiative. Her leadership roles include heading the "Species Interactions & Community Ecology" and "Cryptogam Evolution & Systematics" teams at CSIRO.