Nico Cellinese

Nico Cellinese is a Professor of Biology and Curator of the Herbarium & Informatics at the Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida. He holds joint appointments in the School of Natural Resources and Environment and the Genetics Institute. His research focuses on plant systematics, evolution, biogeography, and informatics, with expertise in phylogenomics and biodiversity data integration.

• Education: Ph.D. in Natural History Museum and University of Reading, UK.
• Affiliations: Cellinese Lab, Florida Museum Herbarium (FLAS), and collaborations with global institutions.

Research interests include the evolutionary history of plant groups like Campanulaceae, Melastomataceae, and Ledebouria. Key projects involve NSF-funded studies on plant coexistence mechanisms, Melastomataceae phylogenomics, and biodiversity informatics. He develops tools like RegNum and Phyloref.org to enhance phyloinformatics and taxonomic data accessibility.

Notable grants include a $1.5M study on Lobelia species coexistence and a $3.6M project digitizing lichen and bryophyte collections. Teaching includes courses on phylogenetic systematics, evolutionary biogeography, and plant taxonomy.

Cellinese has conducted fieldwork across Asia, Australasia, South America, and Europe, emphasizing global biodiversity conservation and the impacts of climate change. His work bridges systematics, informatics, and conservation to address pressing ecological and evolutionary questions.