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Researchers in Cryptogams Division

Sinikka Piippo Sinikka Piippo, Head Curator of Cryptogamic Herbarium. Born in 1955. She studied first epiphytic bryophytes in Finland, but since 1981 mainly hepatics of Western Melanesia, China, and Southeast Asia, both systematics and phytogeography. Field work in Japan 1986, and China in 1989, 1998, 1999.
Xiaolan He-Nygren Xiaolan He-Nygrén, Curator (Yliopistotutkija) in Cryptogamic Herbarium. Born in 1965 in Harbin, China, moved to Finland in 1994 for her doctoral study on systematics of liverwort genus Pycnolejeunea. Her earlier studies were mainly focused on the taxonomy of Lejeuneaceae and later on evolutionary relationships of liverworts. She has been a participant in project “Phylogeny of liverworts (Hepaticae), the least known group of early land plants”. Currently she is leader of the project “Diversification of liverworts – adaptation to ecosystem change in an ancient lineage”. Field work in China 1990-1995, Sri Lanka 2005, New Zealand 2007. Curriculum vitae (PDF)
Timo Koponen Timo Koponen, Professor Emeritus of Botany, University of Helsinki. Born in 1939, Research Associate of Cryptogamic Herbarium since 2002. Post-doctoral studies in Japan in 1969–71 and in Canada in 1971–72. Major field is the taxonomy of mosses, especially the Mniaceae (s.lat.) and Philonotis. Field research in New Guinea (1981) and in many provinces of China in 1971–1999, especially Hunan.
Pekka Isoviita Pekka Isoviita, Professor and Head Curator Emeritus of Cryptogamic Herbarium. Born in 1931. He first studied the vegetation of raised bogs in southern Finland but was lured by their rich Sphagnum flora to study Sphagnum and especially their nomenclature. He continued studing the nomenclature of bryophytes and became a specialist of botanical nomenclature and old bryological literature. His advice is widely used not only in H, but also many foreigners ask his help in solving complicated nomenclatural problems.
Neil Bell.jpg

Neil Bell, post doctoral researcher. Born 1967 in Scotland. He has been working in Helsinki since 2005. His research interests are the phylogeny, evolution and taxonomy of mosses. Currently he is working on the class Polytrichopsida, a diverse group with an independent evolutionary history from the more numerous arthrodontous mosses. He uses multiple gene regions and morphology to reconstruct relationships within the class, particularly to refine the circumscription of natural genera, identify larger groupings and address biogeographic questions. He also retains an interest in the systematics of pleurocarpous mosses, particularly the “basal” lineages now mostly restricted to southern temperate regions and SE Asia. 

Nijole Kalinauskaite

Nijole Kalinauskaite, technical assistant in Cryptogamic Herbarium. Born in 1957 in Vilnus, Lithuania, moved permanently to Finland in 2004. She is a hepaticologist who also works as botanical artist. During 1991–2004 she worked as a researcher and teacher in the Department of Botany and Genetics of the Vilnus University. She has mainly focused on the Lithuanian and South Ural hepatics.

 

View a selection of Kalinauskaite's moss drawings > > >

Sanna Laaka-Lindberg

Sanna Laaka-Lindberg, post doctoral researcher. Born in 1962. She has studied population processes and structure especially in epixylic hepatics since 1997, effects of forest management and restoration activities on the diversity of epixylic bryophytes, and monitored threatened bryophytes in Finland in association of Finnish Environment Institute and the Finnish committee for bryophyte conservation. At the moment she studies evolutionary processes in hepatics in cooperation with Xiaolan He-Nygrén.
Sun Yu.jpg Yu Sun, Ph.D candidate in Cryptogamic Herbarium. Born in 1979 in China. Obtained his Bachelor degree in molecular biology and Master of Science degree in Botany in China Agricultural University. Currently he is involved in the Project “Diversification of liverworts – adaptation to ecosystem change in an ancient lineage” focusing on a comparative study of chloroplast genome of liverworts.
Daniel H. Norris Daniel H. Norris, Honorary PhD of Helsinki University. Assistant Professor Emeritus of Humboldt State University, now Research Associate of University of California, Berkeley. He has travelled and collected bryophytes in many countries, in 1981 in Papua New Guinea with Timo Koponen. After the excursion they began, together with Sinikka Piippo, to publish the ongoing series of bryophyte floristic treatments for the Huon Pensinsula.
Aino Juslén Aino Juslén, PhD, Senior Researcher in the Finnish Environment Institute. Born in 1975. Defended her PhD on taxonomy and phylogeny of the liverwort genus Herbertus. Co-author in papers studying the phylogeny of the whole class Marchantiophyta. Knowledge on both molecular and morphological methods. Present research interests especially on evolution and genetic diversity of ferns.
Aune Koponen Aune Koponen, PhD., Intendent Emerita of the Botanical Garden, University of Helsinki. Born in 1938. She stayed with Timo Koponen in Japan in 1969–71 and in Canada in 1971–72. After a short period as an amanuensis in the Botanical Museum, she in 1975 became the intendent in the Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Agriculture. There she had the possibility to complete her thesis on the taxonomy of Splachnaceae. Later she was  the intendent of the Botanical Garden and overloaded with many duties. After retirement in 2001 she is again free to continue bryological studies.
Inkeri Ahonen Inkeri Ahonen, biträdande naturvårdsintendent (assistant nature conservation intendent), Ålands landskapsregering. Born in 1963. First a plant physiologist in University of Helsinki, but started later to study evolutionary relationships of liverworts especially focusing on Porellales and Lejeuneaceae. She has been a participant in project “Phylogeny of liverworts, the least known group of early land plants”.

Collaborators       

  • Olga Afonina, Laboratory Lichenology and Bryology, Komarov Botanical Institute, Petersburg, Russia
  • Hiroyuki Akiyama, Museum of Nature and Human Activities, Sanda, Japan
  • Roger Anderson, ArtDatabanken, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet SLU, Uppsala, Sweden
  • William R. Buck, Institute of Systematic Botany, The New York Botanical Garden, NY, USA
  • Barbara Crandall-Stotler, Department of Plant Biology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, U.S.A.
  • Hironori Deguchi, Department of Biological Science, Faculty of Science, Hirosima University, Japan
  • Claudio Delgadillo M., Instituto Biologia, UNAM, México, D.F.
  • Jean-Louis De Sloover, Laboratoire de botanique, Facultés Universitaires N.D. de la Paix, Namur, Belgique
  • John Engel, Field Museum, Chicago, IL, U.S.A.
  • Johannes Enroth, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki
  • Reino Fagerstén, Helsinki, Finland
  • Yan-Ming Fang, College of Forest Resources and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, P. R. China
  • Allan J. Fife, Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand
  • Jan-Peter Frahm, Botanisches Institut der Universität, Bonn, Germany
  • S. Rob Gradstein, Systematisch-Geobotanisches Institut, University of Göttingen, Germany
  • Chien Gao, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyeng, P. R. China
  • Thomas Hallingbäck, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences,Threatened Species Unit, Section for Conservation Botany,Uppsala, Sweden
  • Pirkko Harju, Botanical Museum, University of Helsinki, Finland
  • Lars Hedenäs, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden
  • Masanobu Higuchi, Department of Botany, National Science Museum, Tsukuba, Japan
  • I-Chen Hsueh, Taichung City, Taiwan
  • Michael S. Ignatov, Main Botanical Garden, Academy of Sciences of Russia, Moscow
  • Zennoske Iwatsuki, Okazaki Branch, The Hattori Botanical Laboratory, Okazaki-shi, Japan
  • Jaakko Kangasjärvi, University of Helsinki, Finland
  • N. A. Konstantinova, Botanical Garden, Murmansk Region, Russia
  • Xing-jiang Li, Kunming Institute of Botany, Academia Sinica, Kunming, China
  • Zhi-hua Li, Department of Biology, Zhongsan University, Guangzhou, China
  • Pang-Juan Lin, South China Institute of Botany, Academia Sinica, Guongzhou, China
  • Masami Mizutani, Japan
  • Angela Newton, Natural History Museum, London, United Kindom
  • Naoki Nishimura, Hiruzen Research Institute, Okayama University of Science , Japan
  • David G. Long, Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, Scotland
  • Jian-Xing Luo, Institute of Botany, Academia Sinica, Beijing, China
  • Ryszard Ochyra, Polska Akademia Nauk, Institut Botaniki, Krakow, Poland
  • Lars Paulin, University of Helsinki, Finland
  • Tamás Pócs, Eszterházy Teachers College, Eger, Hungary
  • Erkki Reinikka, Helsinki, Finland
  • Brian O'Shea, London, United Kingdom
  • Tapani Sallantaus, Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), Helsinki, Finland
  • Cecilia Sergio, Jardim Botanico, Favculdade de Ciencias, Lisboa, Portugal
  • Jonathan A. Shaw, Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham NC 27708 USA
  • Jim Shevock, Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
  • Lars Söderström, University of Trondheim AVH, Department of Botany, Norway
  • Raymond E. Stotler, Department of Plant Biology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, U.S.A.
  • Kimmo Syrjänen, Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), Helsinki, Finland
  • Benito Tan, Singapore Botanic Garden
  • Cao Tong, College of Life and Environmental Science, Shanghai Normal University Shanghai, P. R. China
  • Andries Touw, Rijksherbarium, Leiden, the Netherlands
  • Jirí Váňa, Department of Botany, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republik
  • C. C. Townsend, Twickenham, U. K.
  • Heino Vänskä, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland
  • Tauno Ulvinen, Botanical Museum, University of Oulu, Finland
  • Dale H. Vitt, Department of Plant Biology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, U.S.A.
  • William A. Weber, University of Colorado Herbarium
  • Niklas Wikström, Department of Systematic Botany, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Norbyvägen 18D, Uppsala University 75236, Uppsala, Sweden
  • Pan-Cheng Wu, Institute of Botany, Academia Sinica, Beijing, China
  • Robert Wyatt, Department of Botany, Plant Sciences Building, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, U.S.A
  • Mu Zang, Kunming Institute of Botany, Academia Sinica, Kunming, China

Collaborating organizations