Anna Amelia Sher
Alma materUniversity of New Mexico Ph.D
Earlham College B.S.
Scientific career
InstitutionsUniversity of Denver
ThesisSeedling ecology of competing riparian trees : native cottonwood (Populus deltoides subsp wislizenii) and invasive salt cedar (Tamarix ramosissima). (1998)

Anna Amelia Sher is an American plant ecologist who is a professor at the University of Denver. She works on conservation and the restoration of areas invaded by Tamarix. She is the author of two textbooks, Ecology:Concepts and Applications and Introduction to conservation biology.

Early life and education

Sher was an undergraduate student at Earlham College, where she majored in biology and art,[1] and was first introduced to invasive plants, which she attributes to biology professor Brent Smith.[2] She moved to the University of New Mexico for graduate studies, where she worked under the supervision of Diane Marshall.[2] Her doctoral research considered the ecology of competing riparian trees: cottonwood and invasive salt cedar (Tamarix).[3] She completed field work at the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico. After earning her doctorate, Sher travelled to Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, where she was supported by a Fulbright Program scholarship.[1] On her return to the United States, Sher joined the University of California, Davis as a postdoctoral researcher investigating invasive grasses.[1]

Research and career

In 2003, Sher moved to Denver where she was appointed Assistant Professor at the University of Denver and Director of Research at the Denver Botanic Gardens.[4] She was promoted to tenured associate professor in 2008 and full professor in 2017.[5]

Sher's research considers preservation and the environmental protection and conservation, the ecology of invasive plants and ways to restore damaged ecosystems.[1] She has extensively investigated the Tamarix, an invasive, exotic tree species of West America.[2]

Sher was the second female full professor in the history of her department, and the third in the division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at DU. She was the first mother to both achieve tenure and be promoted to full in her division. She would go on to found the STEM Women Faculty Association and lead a cross-campus team to address inequalities for faculty in the sciences.[6]

Awards and honors

Selected publications

Books

Journal articles

Dr. Sher has published dozens of scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals; this work has been cited thousands of times. A current list of publications and citations can be found on her Google Scholar page. Her ORCID ID is https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6433-9746. The following are a sample of some of her better known works (* indicates student co-authors. Note that first and last positions in author lists typically indicate person who did most of the writing and the one who is the senior/supervising PI, respectively):

Personal life

Sher is a member of 500 Queer Scientists. She was the first member of her department to be out.[12] Sher and her wife, Fran, were the first couple in Denver to receive a civil union.[4] Together they have one son.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Anna A Sher | Natural Sciences and Mathematics". science.du.edu. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
  2. ^ a b c Tamarix: a case study of ecological change in the American West. Anna Sher, Martin F. Quigley. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. 2013. ISBN 978-0-19-989821-3. OCLC 843881808.((cite book)): CS1 maint: others (link)
  3. ^ Sher, Anna Amelia (1998). Seedling ecology of competing riparian trees: native cottonwood (Populus deltoides subsp wislizenii) and invasive salt cedar (Tamarix ramosissima) (Thesis). Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico. OCLC 795601431.
  4. ^ a b "Meet Anna Sher Simon". TEDxMileHigh: Ideas Worth Spreading. 2016-06-25. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
  5. ^ "faculty-directory/anna-sher". College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics> Faculty> Anna Sher. 2022. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  6. ^ Hurst, Alyssa (July 28, 2021). "DU Wins NSF ADVANCE Grant for Improving Equity in STEM". Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  7. ^ "Announcing the 2020 Faculty Awards". University of Denver. 2020-06-17. Retrieved 2021-06-23.
  8. ^ "Annual Awards". University of Denver. Retrieved 2021-06-23.
  9. ^ Sher, Anna A. (2022). An Introduction to Conservation Biology. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-756437-0.
  10. ^ Sher, Anna A.; Molles, Manuel (2021). Ecology Concepts and Applications. McGraw Hill Education. ISBN 978-1-265-28633-0.
  11. ^ Sher, Anna A.; Quigley, Martin (2013). Tamarix: A Case Study of Ecological Change in the American West. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-989820-6.
  12. ^ "Anna Sher". 500 Queer Scientists. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
  13. ^ "Denver clerk begins issuing same-sex marriage licenses". The Denver Post. 2014-07-10. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
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