Steven Dodsworth

Steven Dodsworth is a Lecturer in Plant Science at Birkbeck, University of London, within the School of Natural Sciences. He holds a PhD from Queen Mary University of London (2016), and additional qualifications including an MSc from the Royal College of Music (2012) and an MA from the University of Cambridge (2009). He is a Fellow of the Linnean Society (2021) and Advance HE (2019), and received the Irene Manton Prize for Botany (2017).

His research focuses on plant diversity, phylogenomics, and the genomic mechanisms underlying angiosperm diversification, particularly in Solanaceae. He explores polyploidy, genome evolution, and the interplay between genomic changes and adaptive traits. Current projects include the phylogenomics of Frankenia (Frankeniaceae) and collaborative work on the angiosperm tree of life.

Teaching includes modules on plant diversity, ecology, and field botany. He supervises doctoral student Roxane Pirbonyeh and advises on BSc/MSc/MRes projects. Professional roles include Editor-in-Chief of the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society and affiliations with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and the Royal Horticultural Society.

Awards reflect his contributions to botany and education, while his work has been published in high-impact journals such as Nature and Molecular Ecology. His lab at Birkbeck integrates fieldwork, molecular techniques, and computational tools to address evolutionary questions.