David Michener, PhD

David C. Michener is a Curator at the University of Michigan Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum where he studies how human cultures engage and change plants. For 20 years he was on the UM Rackham Graduate School’s  Museum Studies Program faculty steering committee, which still profoundly frames his methods.  His research spans multiple fields, with an emphasis on Indigenous partnering, historic peony conservation, and the reconception of botanical collections. His diverse roles intersect cultural, historical, and botanical domains, allowing him to collaborate extensively with students and colleagues across disciplines.

Indigenous Partnering

In his role as Midwest Co-Lead of the Center for Braiding Indigenous Knowledges and Science alongside Jennifer Gauthier of the Sustainable Development  Institute at the College of the Menominee Nation, David’s work centers on Indigenous knowledge systems. David has been working with the Michigan Anishinaabek Cultural and Preservation Alliance and multiple non tribal partners in seed rematriation and mnomen / manoomin / wild rice restoration, as Heritage Seeds, the Indigenous Collaborative Garden, decolonization work, and Mnomen reestablishment conditions. This work is recognized with the Carol Hollenshead Award and as Mentor Faculty in the Public Engagement Faculty Fellowship.

Historic peony conservation

David’s work also extends to historic peony conservation, where he collaborates with Nastassia Vlasava and teams at the University of Michigan and the Central Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus to trace the origins and preserve historic ornamental herbaceous peonies. David and Carol Adelman published Peony in 2017, and he is on the Board of Directors of the American Peony Society. 

Collection Reconception

He works to rethink the Matthaei Botanical Gardens’ tropical conservatory collections, moving beyond traditional Western science pedagogy to incorporate more inclusive cultural frameworks., as well as the still-expanding Melvyn C. Goldstein Bonsai Garden.

These works have been made possible with grant support from the Belarusian Foundation for Fundamental Research, the Graham Sustainability Institute, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Science Foundation, the Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust, and support from the American, Minnesota and Wisconsin Peony Societies. Through the varied nature of his work, David’s overarching goal is to foster a deeper understanding of plants through cultural, ecological, and historical lenses