JOIN US FoR "Nypa: the Lone Traveler from the Past" webinar!
Saturday, June 13, 2026 | 2:00 PM ET
Professor Anders S. Barfod is an internationally recognized botanist, palm taxonomist, and biodiversity scientist whose career has spanned more than three decades of research, teaching, and exploration across the tropics. A professor at Aarhus University in Denmark, he has also held visiting appointments in France, Australia, and the United States, and is widely regarded as one of the leading authorities on palm diversity and evolution.
His extensive fieldwork has taken him throughout Southeast Asia, Latin America, Africa, and the Pacific, where he has studied palms in some of the world’s most biodiverse ecosystems. His research has led to the discovery and description of numerous new palm species — particularly within the genus Licuala — and the establishment of the palm genu.s Aphandra. He has authored more than 110 scientific publications, supervised generations of graduate students, and served in influential international roles including the IUCN Palm Specialist Group and as co-founder of the European Network of Palm Scientists. In his webinar, “Nypa: The Lone Traveler from the Past,” Professor Barfod explores the remarkable story of Nypa fruticans, the mangrove palm often considered a living relic of ancient tropical ecosystems. Drawing from decades of botanical research and tropical field experience, he examines how this unique palm provides insight into palm evolution, biogeography, and the ecological history of coastal environments across the tropics. |
Professor Anders S. Barfod is a botanist and palm specialist with Aarhus University in Denmark, where he has served in multiple academic leadership roles since 1988, including Professor within the Institute of Biological Sciences. His research has focused extensively on palm systematics, biodiversity, and tropical botany, with fieldwork spanning Ecuador, Papua New Guinea, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, Africa, and beyond. Over the course of his career, Professor Barfod has supervised 18 PhD students and 77 MSc students from around the world and has published more than 110 scientific works, including 95 peer-reviewed publications. He is a co-founder of the European Network of Palm Scientists (EUNOPS) and has served on the IUCN Palm Specialist Group since 1991. Professor Barfod has described numerous new palm taxa, particularly within the genus Licuala, and several plant species have been named in his honor in recognition of his contributions to tropical plant science and palm research. |
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