Emily Sessa, Ph.D., is the Patricia K. Holmgren Director of the William and Lynda Steere Herbarium at the New York Botanical Garden. She is a botanist and plant systematist whose research focuses on the ecology and evolution of ferns and lycophytes.
Artificial Intelligence in NYBG Science: New Approaches for Collections-Based Research
November 4, 2026
5 p.m. | Online
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming botanical research, creating exciting new opportunities to explore, understand, and conserve plant and fungal diversity. At NYBG, scientists are harnessing AI to advance research across a wide range of fields, from species identification and biodiversity conservation to climate change, remote sensing, and collections-based discovery. In this webinar, NYBG scientists Emily Sessa and Damon Little will highlight some of this innovative work, sharing how they are using AI to unlock information preserved in herbarium specimens, improve our understanding of where plants occur, and accelerate assessments of species threatened with extinction. Discover how these projects fit into NYBG’s broader vision for integrating AI into scientific research and addressing some of the most pressing challenges facing the natural world.
About the Speakers
Damon P. Little, Ph.D., is the Curator of Bioinformatics in the Center for Biodiversity & Evolution at the New York Botanical Garden. Damon develops new plant identification technologies that make botanical science faster and better, enabling data-driven responses to the global biodiversity crisis.
Location Online
Location Online