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Leonard “Kris” Krishtalka has been the Director of the University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum for the past 25 years and is retiring at the end of 2020. A professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at KU, and an internationally distinguished paleontologist and evolutionary biologist, Krishtalka has long advocated for the work of biodiversity researchers at KU and across the globe.
He himself has been a part of paleontological research expeditions throughout western Canada and the U.S., Europe, Africa, China and Patagonia. He has written more than 200 research articles, is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a recipient of an Award for Writing Excellence from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.
His leadership also includes serving on the boards of global biodiversity organizations including the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and the JRS Biodiversity Foundation, both which advance open biodiversity data and biodiversity conservation worldwide. Krishtalka has always championed graduate student research opportunities and student support at KU.
Please join us in honoring Professor Krishtalka and his extensive legacy with a donation to this special Graduate Student Scholarship fund, which will support Biodiversity Institute graduate students and their research. These select students in KU’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology are mentored by Biodiversity Institute scientists and curators. The scholarship funds will help provide support for students to focus on their own research projects.