Sara Fuentes Soriano

Sara Fuentes Soriano is an Assistant Professor and Herbarium Director at New Mexico State University's Department of Animal and Range Sciences. She oversees the preservation and accessibility of 120,000 plant herbarium specimens, the oldest biodiversity collection in New Mexico, established by E.O. Wooton in the 1880s.

Her research focuses on:

• Taxonomic and systematic studies of plant species
• Enhancing biodiversity informatics and cyberinfrastructure
• Investigating climate change impacts on desert vegetation distribution
• Bioprospecting traditional medicinal plants in Southern New Mexico communities

She also engages in teaching plant science, public outreach, and providing plant identification services.