Missouri Botanical Garden

Peter H. Raven is President of the Missouri Botanical Garden and George Engelmann Professor of Botany at Washington University in St. Louis.

For over 37 years, Dr. Raven has headed the Missouri Botanical Garden, an institution he has nurtured to become a world-class centre for botanical research, education, and horticulture display. Under his leadership, the Garden has become a leader in botanical research in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and North America. Dr. Raven is a Trustee of the National Geographic Society and Chairman of the Society's Committee for Research and Exploration.   Dr. Raven’s scientific studies have concentrated on the plant family Onagraceae, the evening primrose family, which he and his students and associates have made a model for plant systematics and evolution. He has also published widely on biogeography, particularly of the Southern Hemisphere; on folk taxonomy; and on coevolution, including pollination studies.

Described by TIME magazine as a "Hero for the Planet," Dr. Raven champions research around the world to preserve endangered plants and animals and is a leading advocate for building a sustainable environment. In recognition of his work in science and conservation, Dr. Raven has been the recipient of numerous prizes and awards, including the International Prize for Biology from the government of Japan; Environmental Prize of the Institute de la Vie; Volvo Environment Prize; the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement; Sasakawa Environment Prize; the International Cosmos Prize, Osaka; and the BBVA Prize for Science and Conservation. He has held Guggenheim and John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellowships.

In 2001, Dr. Raven received the National Medal of Science, the highest award for scientific accomplishment in the United States. Dr. Raven served for 12 years as Home Secretary of the National Academy of Sciences, to which he was elected in 1977. He is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and of the American Philosophical Society, of the academies of science in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Denmark, Georgia, Hungary, India, Italy, Mexico, Russia, Sweden, the U.K. (the Royal Society), and several other countries, and of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS).

Dr. Raven received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1960 after completing his undergraduate work at the University of California, Berkeley. He has been awarded a number of honorary degrees by universities in the United States and throughout the world.