Robin Wall Kimmerer

Robin Wall Kimmerer is a Distinguished Teaching Professor of Environmental Biology and Founding Director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Of European and Anishinaabe ancestry, she is an enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. Her work bridges scientific ecology and indigenous environmental philosophy, with a focus on mosses and culturally significant plant restoration.

• BS in Botany, SUNY ESF
• MS and PhD in Botany, University of Wisconsin

Her research integrates traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) with conservation science, examining:

• Moss community dynamics in northern forests and harvested habitats
• Cultural plant recovery for Native American communities
• Epiphytic ecosystem resilience after logging activities
• Indigenous land stewardship principles

Scientific publications span disturbance ecology, TEK applications, and indigenous sovereignty across journals like The Bryologist, Restoration Ecology, and Ecological Applications. Literary works appear in Orion, Minding Nature, and anthologies exploring the grammar of animacy and ecological reciprocity.

Scientific honors include:

• John Burroughs Medal for Gathering Moss (2005)
• Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Award for Braiding Sweetgrass (2013)
• SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor title

Current graduate advisees include:

• Kaya DeerInWater (MS in Conservation Biology)
• Dineh Judd (MS in Coupled Natural and Human Systems)
• Tusha Yakovleva (MS in Environmental Science)