Diana Gamba, an assistant professor of biology at The University of New Mexico, has been appointed as the new herbarium curator for the university’s Museum of Southwestern Biology, according to a Mar. 30 announcement.
Gamba’s appointment highlights the ongoing role women play in botanical sciences and reflects the university’s commitment to research and public engagement in biodiversity. The Museum of Southwestern Biology Herbarium serves as a resource for both scientific study and community education.
Originally from Colombia, Gamba recently completed a five-year postdoctoral fellowship at Pennsylvania State University. She earned her Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution and Systematics from the University of Missouri–St. Louis in 2020, holds a master’s degree with honors from San Francisco State University, and received her undergraduate degree from Universidad del Valle in Cali, Colombia. Drawn by New Mexico’s diverse ecosystems—from Valles Caldera to the Gila Wilderness—Gamba said she values opportunities for research throughout the state.
Gamba said that botany has traditionally been more inclusive of women than other scientific disciplines. She cited inspiration from Alice Eastwood: “who not only created the California Academy of Sciences’ botanical collection, but also secured its specimens from the fires that followed San Francisco’s 1906 earthquake.” Her own research focuses on how local plant species adapt to environmental pressures within their native and invasive ranges. One current project examines gallant soldier (Galinsoga parviflora), an invasive plant found in remote areas of New Mexico that likely arrived with Spanish colonizers.
The University of New Mexico is recognized for its broad impact beyond academics; it boasts more than 200,000 alumni worldwide—including fellows of national academies—and contributes significantly through its libraries, museums, galleries and performance spaces while promoting diversity and community engagement according to its official website. The campus features Pueblo Revival architecture and is home to a nationally recognized arboretum as noted by university sources. In spring 2023 alone, over 24,000 students were enrolled across main and branch campuses according to official data.
UNM also ranks among top public schools nationally with distinctions such as being placed sixteenth for primary care medical schools and fifth for most diverse medical schools by U.S. News & World Report as reported by university rankings. Its athletics program competes under the Lobos name within the Mountain West Conference according to official sources.
Reflecting on her fieldwork experiences spanning Ecuador’s Andes to New Mexico’s varied landscapes—and her encounters with wildlife such as Andean bear cubs—Gamba said this blend of research, education and outreach represents “botany at its most impactful.”
