About half of ¶¶Òõ̽̽ Plant Biology majors go on to graduate or medical school. Among students who enter the workforce right after college, many work in the public sector with federal, state, or local governments or public interest organizations. Others work in the plant agricultural industry or become self-employed in private businesses.

Employment opportunities in plant biology are expected to increase at a rate greater than average within the total job market for the foreseeable future. This employment picture is all the better because the current number of students training in plant biology is below average. Employment prospects are very good, and professionals in the field report especially high job satisfaction.

Read below about careers of Plant Biology alumni.

Owen Hudson (2018)

Owen Hudson now works for the 4th largest vineyard company in the United States, Trinchero Family Estates (better known as Sutter Home), in California. His position includes vineyard management and plant disease management. He works with all types of wine grapes, monitoring for disease, treating plants, and doing irrigation work with pesticides, herbicides, and nutrients. His job is to maintain plant health and to maximize yields while still maintaining even growth before harvest. Owen's hopes for the future include graduate school to study plant pathology.

Rogelio Zimbron (2016)

Rogelio Zimbron working in a lab

After graduating from ¶¶Òõ̽̽ with Bachelor's degree in Plant Biology, Rogelio Zimbron landed a position as an ELISA assay and protein purification technician/manager at Green Mountain Antibodies in Burlington, Vermont. He works to screen customer monoclonal hybridoma cell cultures for antibody producing cell lines and purifies antibody from large cell culture supernatants. Outside of work, you can find Rogelio laying down earthy bass lines for his two bands, Fertile Soil and the Morning Giants.

Katie Webster (2015)

Katie Webster landed a position just after finishing her undergraduate degree in Plant Biology at ¶¶Òõ̽̽ as a Research Fellow at U Mass Amherst. She works to maintain and optimize the Umass BioFoundry Plant Cell Culture Collection, which is affiliated with the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department. Katie may continue her studies at the graduate level at some point, but she is gaining some work experience while taking time to decide whether or not an advanced degree is the right fit for her.

Daniel Koenemann (2012)

Dan Koenemann, botanist in the woods.

After finishing his bachelors degree at ¶¶Òõ̽̽, Dan Koenemann continued his botanical studies at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden in southern California. There he completed his MS, working on species concepts and species delimitation in Sanchezia (Acanthaceae). Following this, Dan spent time as a Roman Catholic seminarian. He studied philosophy, theology, and languages at Providence College, the Università della Santa Croce, and Saint John's Seminary (Brighton). He completed his MA in theology, writing on the possibility of narrative interpretations of Genesis in light of evolutionary theory. Currently, Dan has returned to plant systematics. He is a a doctoral student at Howard University in Washington, DC and a graduate student research associate at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. His dissertation project focuses on the taxonomy and evolution of Coccoloba (Polygonaceae). When not doing school work or botanizing, Dan involves himself in works of religion. He sings in his parish choir and is an aspirant to the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites.

Derrick Deming (2011)

Derrick Deming in a research lab

After graduating from ¶¶Òõ̽̽, Derrick spent a few years living in Wyoming as a ski bum. He then went onto graduate school at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he received his PhD in Biochemistry. While in grad school Derrick trained as a structural biologist. His goal was to bridge the gap between his undergraduate research experience in host microbe interactions and his graduate training in structural biology, so his next move was to a post doc with a joint appointment at Harvard Medical School and UMass Medical School. There Derrick is investigating the structural basis of the immune response to infectious disease. When not in the lab Derrick enjoys spending time in the mountains or on the water.

Morgan Moeglein (2010)

Morgan Moeglein with a plant

After graduating from ¶¶Òõ̽̽ plant biology, Morgan worked as a research technician in Mary Gehring's lab at the Whitehead Institute studying epigenetic regulation of plant development. She is now working on her PhD in Erika Edward's lab at Yale University. Morgan's dissertation research focuses on understanding leaf trait evolution in Viburnum.

Bryan Connolly (1997)

Upon completion of his bachelor's degree at ¶¶Òõ̽̽, Bryan Connolly went on to earn a M.S. in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of Connecticut. He then worked as a botanist for the University of Mississippi Medicinal Plant Garden before returning to New England, where he was a consultant for the Connecticut Chapter of the Nature Conservancy, the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, and the New England Wild Flower Society. He then served as the State Botanist for the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program. After earning his Ph.D. in Plant Science from the University of Connecticut, he accepted his current position as tenure-track faculty at Framingham State University. He also serves as the current president of the New England Botanical Club. When not botanizing Bryan can be found growing organic vegetables and spending time with his wife and two children.

Linda Prince (1987)

Linda Prince continued her education at UNC-Chapel Hill, earning an MS and a PhD in Biology. Her concentration in plant systematics led her to postdoctoral fellowships at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, and then at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden in southern California. She’s currently a Research Associate for The Field Museum in Chicago, where she conducts research on members of several plant groups including Zingiberales and Theaceae. She also holds a position as a Seed Biologist for Ball Horticultural Co, where her research investigates environmental, genetic, and developmental factors responsible for flower seed quality. Although she spends many hours in the office and labs, she still finds plenty of time to get outside and enjoy the field too.