2003: Ph.D., Systematic Botany, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas.
1997: B.S. with honors, Plant Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.

Professional Experience

Assistant Professor, Plant Systematics and Director, Ted R. Bradley Herbarium (GMUF)
           George Mason University, August 2005 – present.
Post-doctoral Research Associate, National Research Council                                                                  US Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, August 2004 – August 2005.
Lecturer in Biological Sciences
           UT-Austin, School of Biological Sciences, September 2003 – May 2004.
Post-doctoral Fellow in Systematic Botany
           UT-Austin, Section of Integrative Biology, May 2003 – January 2004.
Graduate Research Assistant and Laboratory Manager
           UT-Austin, Section of Integrative Biology, January 2000 – May 2003.

Publications

Weeks, A. and A. Tye, in press. Phylogeography of palo santo trees (Bursera graveolens (HBK)              Triana & Planch. and B. malacophylla B.L. Robs.; Burseraceae) in the Galápagos              archipelago. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society.                                                     Leshin, J.A., O'Connell, K.P, Skrowonski, E., Danielson, M., Weeks, A.. and K.L. Dretchen. in              press.Characterization of ricin toxin family members from Ricinus communis. Toxicon. Weeks, A., 2009. Evolution of the pili nut genus (Canarium L., Burseraceae) and its cultivated               species. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution 56: 765-781.                                  Weeks, A., and B.B. Simpson. 2007. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of Commiphora                                    (Burseraceae) yields insight on the evolution and historical biogeography of an                         "impossible" genus. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 42: 62-79.                                Simpson, B.B., L.L. Larkin, A. Weeks, and J.D. McDill. 2006. Phylogeny and biogeography of              Pomaria (Caesalpinioideae: Leguminosae). Systematic Botany 31:792-804.
Weeks, A., D.C. Daly, and B.B. Simpson. 2005. Phylogenetic relationships and historical                   biogeography of the Burseraceae based on nuclear and chloroplast sequence data.                        Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 35: 85-101.
Simpson, B.B., J.A. Tate, and A. Weeks. 2005. The evolution and biogeography of                              Hoffmannseggia (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae, Caesalpinieae): A tale of many travels.             Journal of Biogeography 32: 15-27.
Simpson, B.B., J.A. Tate, and A. Weeks. 2004. On the value of the genus Hoffmannseggia                         (Caesalpinieae: Caesalpinioideae: Leguminosae): Phylogeny and character evolution.             Systematic Botany 29: 933-949.
Weeks, A. and B.B. Simpson. 2004. Molecular genetic evidence for interspecific hybridization             among Hispaniolan Bursera (Burseraceae) American Journal of Botany 91: 975-983.
Simpson, B.B., A. Weeks, D.M. Helfgott, and L.L. Larkin. 2004. Species relationships in Krameria             (Krameriaceae) based on ITS sequences and morphology: Implications for character utility             and biogeography. Systematic Botany 29: 97-108.
Simpson, B.B., L.L. Larkin, and A. Weeks. 2003. Progress towards resolving the relationships of             the Caesalpinia group (Caesalpinieae: Caesalpinioideae: Fabaceae). In: B. Klitgaard and A.             Bruneau (editors) Advances in Legume Systematics X. Higher level Systematics and             Biogeography. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond. pp. 123-148.
Weeks, A., 2003. The molecular systematics and biogeography of the Burseraceae. Ph.D.                         dissertation. The University of Texas at Austin.
Weeks, A., 2001. Book review: The ghosts of evolution: nonsensical fruit, missing partners, and             other ecological anachronisms. Plant Science Bulletin 47: 123-124.

Selected Presentations

Weeks, A. 2009. Historical biogeography of the pantropical cashew (Anacardiaceae) and                         frankincense (Burseraceae) families. Annual Meeting, International Biogeography Society.              Merida, Mexico. January 11, 2009. (juried)   
Weeks, A. and T. F. Wieboldt. 2008. Plant biodiversity heritage collections in Virginia: ensuring              their security through quantitative comparison, community building, and education. Annual              Meeting, National Council for Science and the Environment, “Biodiversity in a rapidly              changing world.” December 8, 2008. (juried).
Weeks, A. 2008. Historical biogeography of pantropical angiosperms: a case study using              'Terebinthaceae' (Anacardiaceae and Burseraceae). Torrey Botanical Society, New York              Botanical Garden. November 3, 2008. (invited).
Weeks, A. 2007. Corredores y dispersión a larga distancia: lo que la sistematica molecular dice              acerca de la historia biogeografica de la subtribu Burserinae. Simposio. Avances en el              conocimiento del género Bursera I: taxonomía, sistematica y evolución.  XVII Congreso              Mexicano de Botánica. Zacatecas, Mexico. October 16, 2007. (invited)
Weeks, A. 2007. Historical biogeography of endemic Namibian Commiphora (Burseraceae):              evolution in a steady-state landscape? Evolution and diversification in the Sapindales              Colloquium. Botany 2007. Chicago, IL. July 10, 2007. (invited)
Weeks, A. 2007. Phylogenetic systematics and historical biogeography of southern African                        Commiphora. University of New Mexico. April 26, 2007. (invited)
Weeks, A. 2007. Virginia herbarium and library network. Symposium III. Status of the herbarium             cyber-infrastructure in the Southeast. Association of Southeastern Biologists 68th Annual             Meeting, Columbia, SC. April 20, 2007. (invited)
Weeks, A. 2007. Phylogenetic systematics and historical biogeography of southern African                         Commiphora. Association of Southeastern Biologists 68th Annual Meeting, Columbia, SC.             April 19, 2007.
McMullen, C. K., K.E. Baird, M.S. Woolf, and A. Weeks. 2007. Update on a taxonomic revision of             the endemic members of Cordia (Boraginaceae) in the Galapagos Islands. Association of             Southeastern Biologists 68th Annual Meeting, Columbia, SC. April 19, 2007.
Weeks, A. 2006. What Henslow taught Darwin. 2nd Annual On the origin of Species Symposium.             George Mason University. November 29, 2006.
O’Connell, K. P., J. A.  Leshin, A. Weeks, and E. W. Skowronski. 2006. Discovery and                      characterization of novel signatures from the Ricinus communis (castor bean) genome.            25th Army Science Conference, Orlando, FL.
Baird, K. E., C.K. McMullen, and A. Weeks. 2006. Progress in phylogeographic study of                      Galapagos endemic Cordia (Boraginaceae). Botany 2006. Chico, CA.
McMullen, C. K., and A. Weeks. 2006. A taxonomic revision of the endemic members of Cordia            (Boraginaceae) in the Galapagos Islands - preliminary results. Association of Southeastern            Biologists 67th Annual Meeting, Gatlinburg, TN, 53: 187.
Weeks, A. 2005. Evolution of Caribbean Bursera. Seminar series: Research Initiative for Scientific             Enhancement for Undergraduates, University of Puerto Rico – Cayey.
Weeks, A. 2005. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of Commiphora (Burseraceae) yields insight on             the evolution of an “impossible” genus. US National Herbarium Seminar Series,                         Washington, DC.
Weeks, A. and B.B. Simpson. 2005. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of Commiphora                         (Burseraceae) yields insight on the evolution of an “impossible” genus. Botany 2005.             Austin, TX.
Weeks, A. and B.B. Simpson. 2003. Phylogenetic relationships and historical biogeography of the             Burseraceae based on nuclear and chloroplast sequence data. Ernst Mayr Award                         competition. Evolution 2003. Chico, CA.
Weeks, A. 2002. What are herbaria? And what are they good for? Meeting of the Georgetown             Native Plant Society, TX.
Weeks, A. and B.B. Simpson. 2002. Whence the Bursereae?: new insights on the phylogeny and             biogeography of the Burseraceae based on nuclear and chloroplast sequence data.                        Botany 2002. Madison, WI.
Weeks, A. and B.B. Simpson. 2001. The presence of Commiphora (Burseraceae) in the New             World is confirmed. Botany 2001. Albuquerque, NM.

Research Grants, Competitive Fellowships and Honors

2009: National Science Foundation DEB 0919179 "Collaborative Research: Phylogeny,           diversification, and evolutionary trajectories in the "Terebinthaceae" (Anacardiaceae and           Burseraceae). Collaborators: Paul Fine, UC-Berkeley; Susan Pell, BBG; Douglas Daly &           John Mitchell, NYBG, and Brian Moore. ($171,184, total $716,649).                               2007: Jeffress Memorial Trust. PI. “Evolutionary ecological bases of species diversification in the           Cashew (Anacardiaceae) and Frankincense and Myrrh (Burseraceae) families.” ($20,000)
2006: George Mason University Research Award for Tenure Track Faculty, "Phylogeographic           study of the genus Cordia in the Galapagos Islands" ($4403)
2004: US Army ILIR (In-House Laboratory Independent Research) Grant, “Genetic                                  characterization of Castor Bean and the molecular evolution of its toxin, Ricin.” ($150,000,            funded for 2005-06)
2004: National Research Council, Research Associate Post-Doctoral Fellowship at US Army            Edgewood Chemical and Biological Center, “Assessing global genetic diversity of Ricinus            communis (Euphorbiaceae) and its toxins for forensic use.” ($43,000)
2003: University of Texas at Austin, Research Excellence Award in Organismal Plant Biology,            ($100, one year)
2002: University of Texas at Austin, Professional Development Award. ($400, one year)
2001: National Science Foundation, Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant no. 0104898.                      ($9,974, two years)
2001: University of Texas at Austin, David J. Brunton Continuing Fellowship. ($1,000, one year)
1999: American Society of Plant Taxonomists, Graduate Research Award. ($500, one year)
1999: University of Texas at Austin, Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies Faculty                       Sponsored Grant for Doctoral Field Research in Latin America. ($1,540, one year)
1999: Sigma Xi, Grants-in-Aid of Research. ($500, one year)
1997: University of Texas at Austin, Academic Year Preemptive Research Fellowship. ($11,500,            one year)
1996: Cornell University, H.E. Moore Travel Fund Grant. ($1,000, one year)

Professional Activities

Journal Reviewer: American Journal of Botany, Brittonia, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, Cladistics, Systematic Botany.
Grant Reviewer: National Science Foundation: Systematic Biology, Biological Research Collections.
Professional Memberships: Botanical Society of America, American Society of Plant Taxonomists, Southeast Regional Network of Expertise and Collections, Society of Systematic Biologists, Society for Economic Botany.
International Field Collection and Research Experience
Venezuela, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Namibia.

References On Request