Kesara Anamthawat-Jónsson
Kesara Anamthawat-Jónsson is a professor of plant genetics and currently serves as director of the Institute of Life and Environmental Sciences of the University of Iceland. Her educational background is in the field of botany (B.Sc. Honour & King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s Gold Medal Award, from Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok), plant genetics and physiology (Fulbright recipient, M.A. from the University of Kansas, USA) and plant molecular cytogenetics (Ph.D. from Cambridge University, Churchill College, UK). Professor Anamthawat-Jónsson began her scientific career in plant physiology and cytogenetics and expanded into plant molecular genetics, phylogenomics and plant phylogeography. Two main groups of plant species she has been working on during the past 30 years of research in Iceland are the birch tree family Betulaceae and the grass Triticeae tribe which includes wheat and lymegrass. She has published around 150 peer-reviewed research papers and reviews in scientific journals and books and has graduated a number of research students from Icelandic, Scandinavian and other European universities.