Douglas Jensen

Douglas Jensen is an Associate Professor of Biology and Chair of the Department of Natural Sciences at Converse. He has been a core member of the biology faculty since 1999 and served as department chair from 2000 to 2011. He is based in Phifer Hall and is deeply involved in both teaching and research activities.

Education:

• PhD in Biology – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• BS in Botany – University of Michigan

Dr. Jensen's research centers on evolutionary biology and plant evolution, with a focus on fossilized plants from the Devonian period (approximately 400 million years ago) found in New Brunswick and Quebec. His work includes the discovery and description of a new genus and species of zosterophylls and the analysis of their evolutionary relationships. Additional research areas include Upper Cretaceous plant diversity in South Carolina, pitcher plant energy sources, and collaborative documentation of beach vitex control efforts. He mentors students whose research has been presented at regional and national conferences.

Dr. Jensen teaches a wide range of courses including General Botany, Systematic Botany, Evolutionary Biology, Ecology, Microbiology, and Concepts in Biology. He co-teaches the Junior and Senior Seminar and leads study/travel courses to the American Southwest, the Galápagos Islands, mainland Ecuador, and Costa Rica.

He maintains the campus herbarium, housing over 10,000 plant specimens dating back to pre-Civil War times, and manages the greenhouse used for academic and research purposes. Beyond academics, he is active in student life, having participated in theater productions, choreographed for opera, and engaged in various campus events.

Dr. Jensen collaborates across disciplines, notably with art professor Andrew Blanchard on photographic documentation projects related to ecological conservation.