James S. Miller
Dean and Vice President for Science, and Rupert Barneby Curator for Botanical Science
Profile
The Dean and Vice President for Science at the International Plant Science Center of The New York Botanical Garden leads strategic positioning, planning, and administration for all areas of science at the Botanical Garden. Dr. Miller holds an endowed chair, the Rupert C. Barneby Curatorship, named in honor of the legendary New York Botanical Garden scientist, scholar, and humanist who made enduring contributions to the field of botany during a career spanning nearly half a century.
Dr. Miller received his Ph.D. in Biology from St. Louis University, Missouri, and has extensive field work experience in Latin America, Africa, and Madagascar. He also has a solid track record of collaborative work with laboratory-based projects and built the William L. Brown Center for Plant Genetic Resources at Missouri Botanical Garden into a world-class research operation dedicated to the study and conservation of useful plants. Prior to coming to The New York Botanical Garden, Dr. Miller was William L. Brown Curator of Economic Botany at Missouri Botanical Garden. He was responsible for fund-raising and creation of a strategic plan for the William L Brown Center, for developing research programs and field stations internationally, and for managing diverse plant science staff and students. He also served as Adjunct Professor at the University of Missouri, St. Louis. At the same time, Dr. Miller conducted his own personal research and publication program working with the Boraginaceae, a plant family of shrubs, trees, and herbs found worldwide, totaling about 2,000 species in 100 genera and including several well-known plants such as borage and forget-me-nots.
Dr. Miller is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for the National Center for Natural Products Research at the University of Mississippi, the advisory board for Agribusiness in Sustainable Natural African Plant Products, and the Science Advisory Board for Sequoia Sciences.
General Research Interests
• Natural products research
• Systematics of Boraginaceae
• Flora of Madagascar
Selected Publications
Miller, J. S. 1985. Systematics of the genus Cordia (Boraginaceae) in Mexico and Central America. 686 pp. Doctoral Dissertation, Saint Louis University.
Lott, E.J. and J. S. Miller. 1986. A new species of Bourreria (Boraginaceae) from Mexico. Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 73: 216 218.
Miller, J. S. 1986. Cordia macvaughii, a new species of Boraginaceae from western Mexico. Syst. Bot. 11: 179 187.
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