Will Hembree, M.S.

Research interests: botany, conservation horticulture, propagation, seed orchard development

Will Hembree received his B.S. in Horticulture from the University of Georgia before completing a yearlong fellowship in the UK where he studied living collections management and ex-situ conservation strategies at some of the world’s leading botanic gardens. On his return to the states he completed his M.S. in Horticultural Science at North Carolina State University studying plant breeding and cytogenetics. It was here he fell in love with the diversity of the southeast while taking a course that surveyed the rare plants of North Carolina.

After spending two years as a Research Specialist at Longwood Gardens managing the plant trials program, Will returned to Georgia to join the Garden as Conservation Senior Horticulturist. In this role he manages and maintains the Conservation Collections in Midtown, where threatened and endangered plants are propagated before being planted at the Conservation Safeguarding Nursery in Gainesville or back into the wild. Will also participates in conservation field work, including population surveys, seed collection, and population augmentation.