Gudrun Kadereit

Prof. Dr. Gudrun Kadereit holds the Princess Therese of Bavaria Chair of Systematics, Biodiversity & Evolution of Plants at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU). As director of the Botanical Garden Munich-Nymphenburg and the Botanical State Collection Munich, she leads research in plant systematics and evolutionary biology. Her work focuses on angiosperm phylogenetics, particularly in Amaranthaceae, Melastomataceae, Crassulaceae, Aizoaceae, and Zygophyllaceae. Key research themes include the evolution of C4 photosynthesis and CAM metabolism, seed trait evolution, and biodiversity informatics through the Taxon-omics initiative (DFG SPP 1991). Her research integrates molecular and morphological data to explore biogeographical patterns and plant adaptation to arid environments.

Research interests emphasize the interplay between environmental pressures and evolutionary processes, with significant contributions to understanding C4 pathway origins and the diversification of desert-adapted plant groups. She leads a multidisciplinary team investigating plant diversity using genomic and traditional taxonomic approaches, bridging natural history collections with modern analytical methods.

Her group oversees numerous PhD and postdoctoral projects, focusing on phylogenetic reconstruction, biogeography, and functional trait evolution. Notable projects include studies on Australian Camphorosmeae diversification, C4 photosynthesis in Amaranthaceae, and the evolutionary history of slipper orchids (Cypripedium). Funding includes DFG grants and collaboration across institutions globally.