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Missouri Botanical Garden International Fellowships

The Missouri Botanical Garden is dedicated to supporting young scientists and professionals, helping them advance their careers and make a significant impact in their field of work and communities.

These opportunities in plant systematics, biogeography, ecology, and conservation are made possible through a partnership between the Center for Conservation Science and the Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis Department.

The Fellowships aim to aid students and young professionals by providing funding for research and training at MBG in St. Louis, Missouri. During their tenure, Fellows will gain access to MBG's extensive resources, including the herbarium, living collections, library, the TROPICOS database, and the Shaw Nature Reserve. Additionally, Fellows will have opportunities to participate in various interdisciplinary activities designed to enhance their experience and foster professional growth.

The Fellowships

The Shirley A. Graham Fellowship honors and celebrates Dr. Shirley A. Graham's contributions to science, particularly to the taxonomy and evolution of the plant family Lythraceae. The Shirley A. Graham Fellowships are awarded to scientists from Latin America, Madagascar, Vietnam, and Tanzania.

The Alwyn H. Gentry Fellowship was established to pay tribute to the memory of Dr. Alwyn H. Gentry, his long-standing dedication to the Missouri Botanical Garden, and his commitment to training students in tropical botany. The Alwyn H. Gentry Fellowships are awarded to scientists from Latin America.

The Aroid Fellowship was established to promote collections-based research in the family Araceae, specifically in Neotropical aroid genera, which include more than half of the species diversity in the family. The Aroid Fellowships are awarded to scientists from Latin America.

 The fellowships will cover round-trip air travel and lodging in MBG’s visitor apartments. They will also provide a stipend for food, local transportation, and other incidental expenses in St. Louis for a period of at least three weeks and up to three months. In addition, the fellowships cover the cost of traveler’s health insurance and visa applications if needed. Please note that the fellowships do not cover research supplies or analytical costs associated with the proposed project.

Multiple awards may be made under each fellowship, depending on the availability of funds.
 

Requirements

The fellowships are open to students (Master’s or Ph.D.) and young professionals (who completed an undergraduate degree no more than ten years ago) who are actively working in botany or plant sciences at universities, governmental institutions, or non-governmental organizations. Applicants should currently reside and/or study in countries other than the United States.

Fellowship applicants may propose either an independent research project or work with an MBG mentor. If planning to collaborate with a member of the MBG staff, applicants must contact them in advance to secure their support before submitting an application.

Application deadline:
1 October 2025

Announcement of results:
15 November 2025

Online Application Form

Send questions to: Fellowship.Program@mobot.org

The Missouri Botanical Garden is pleased to announce the 2026 International Fellowship recipients. This year, six fellows from five different countries were selected to receive funding for a research visit and specialized training at MBG in St. Louis, Missouri. We are excited to support these early-career researchers to further their research and make meaningful contributions to the fields of plant systematics, biogeography, ecology and conservation.

Shirley A. Graham Fellows:

  • Immaculate Kileo Constanine (National Herbarium of Tanzania, Arusha, Tanzania) - Project: Taxonomic revision and distribution of the Genus Combretum (Combretaceae) in Tanzania. MBG staff mentor: Roy Gereau.
  • Sara Morales Acosta (Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, La Paz, Bolivia) - Project: Changes in functional traits of montane flowering plants after four decades of climate change. MBG staff mentor:Sebastián Tello.
  • Juliana Puentes (Charles Darwin Research Station, Puerto Ayora, Galápagos, Ecuador) - Project: Few endemics and puzzling distributions: Taxonomic and biogeographic reassessment of the
    Galápagos ferns.

Alwyn H. Gentry Fellows:

  • Miguel Gomez Riaño (Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia) - Project: Revisión del género Magnolia en el Neotrópico: Colombia y Ecuador.
  • William Vásquez (Universidad Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Perú) - Project: Taxonomia y Distribución de Bertiera Aubl. (Bertiereae, Rubiaceae) en el Perú: un enfoque integrativo para la delimitación de especies. MBG staff mentor: Charlotte Taylor.
     

Davidson-Christoph Fellow:

  • Emilio Trujillo Rivadeneira (Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador) - Project: The Genus Nototriche (Malvaceae): A systematic revision in the high Andes of Ecuador and a nomenclatural revision for South America.