Hi! Welcome to my website!

My name is Kasia Ziemińska and I am a plant scientist exploring anatomical structure of wood. I am interested in how wood anatomy determines plant functions and ecological strategies.

I am currently a postdoctoral Putnam Fellow at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University (2016-2018). I am investigating the roles of parenchyma and fibres in wood water storage and capacitance.

I AM LOOKING FOR A NEW POSITION STARTING IN AUTUMN/WINTER, 2018. Please, email me if you have a job opening or would be interested in collaboration.

I started working on wood anatomy at Kew Royal Botanic Gardens (London, UK) in 2008. I studied  rosewoods from South America and I also helped with wood identification of various species. After a year, I set off to Australia where I worked as a research assistant for a year and afterwards did my PhD at the Comparative Ecology Lab, Macquarie University, Sydney (completed in 2014). I investigated wood anatomical structure and its relation to plant functional traits, especially wood density, across a diverse range of Australian trees and shrubs from various environments.

You might wonder what the photo at the top of the page illustrates. It is a cross-section through a twig of prickly geebung, a shrub from Tasmania (Australia). The large white holes transport water, similar to pipes in a building. And the pink small cells give mechanical support, similar to bricks in a building.

Enjoy!

Kasia