Fosiee Tahbaz

Coordinator, American-Iranian Botanical Program
Curator of Middle Eastern Flora
Senior Museum Scientist, Emerita
University and Jepson Herbaria
1001 Valley Life Sciences Bldg., # 2465
Berkeley, CA 94720-2465

(925) 376-2062
ftahbaz@sbcglobal.net

Dr. Tahbaz, after receiving a degree in Biology from the University of Tehran, worked as an instructor for the Botany Department at the University of Tehran, College of Agriculture.

After obtaining two advanced science diplomas and her PhD from the University of Paris, Faculty of Sciences "Sorbonne," she returned to Iran where she continued to teach as an Assistant Professor, and conduct research in plant physiology, taxonomy, anatomy, morphology and weed biology at the University of Tehran. Six years later, she was promoted to Associate Professor.

In 1971 she continued her research with a Postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Wisconsin in Professor Folke Skoog's lab. After she returned to Iran in 1977 she was promoted to full professor in the College of Agriculture at the University of Tehran, becoming the first woman and youngest person to achieve full professorship in the history of the College. During this time she also conducted research on the genus Allium at the University of Paris. In 1979, she continued her research at the University of California, Davis.
Dr. Fosiee Tahbaz was the Manager of Vascular Plants Collections at the University and Jepson Herbaria. In addition to her curatorial duties, she has had the primary responsibility for the initiation and establishment of scientific relationships with Iran.


In summer 1998, she proposed to Iranian authorities that the University and Jepson Herbaria and Iran's universities should collaborate in studying the rich flora of Iran with an emphasis on the biogeographic similarities of Iran and the western US. A trip to Iran in May 1999 with Dr. Barbara Ertter was the result of this effort.
In the spring of 2002, a collaborative botanical trip involving the College of Agriculture of the University of Tehran and the Herbaria was funded by National Geographic Society. The trip was undertaken in autumn of 2002.

In 2004, botanists from seven different American universities visited several Iranian universities and collaborated on botanical collecting trips throughout the beautiful country of Iran.

Dr. Tahbaz has pursued her research interest in Paeoniaceae and the genus Dodecatheon, determining the range of Paeonia in California, and investigating chloroplast DNA sequences of Dodecatheon.

She has also served as a reviewer for Intermountain Flora treatments.

In 2005 Dr. Tahbaz retired after 20 years of service as a Senior Museum Scientist at the University and Jepson Herbaria. She continues to be active as the coordinator of the American-Iranian Botanical Program and as the Curator of Middle Eastern Flora.

Dr. Tahbaz is actively seeking funding to expand the program between American and Iranian botanists and to encourage the interaction between the botanical communities of both nations.

Selected publications:
  1. Tahbaz, F. (1965). Etude experimentale du developpement vegetatif et reproductif d'une plante amphicarpique le Scrofularia arguta Sol. Doctorat dissertation. FRANCE
  2. Tahbaz, F. (1971). Weeds of cotton fields in Gorgan. Iran. Bull. Fac. Sci., Univ.Tehran, Vol.2. 4;19-23. IRAN
  3. Tahbaz, F. (1974). L' Allium "Taree Irani" du group ampeloprasum L. Cultivate en Iran, region de Teheran. Bull. Soc. Bot. Fr., 118:753-762. FRANCE
  4. Tahbaz, F. (1974). Morphology and Anatomy of 2 ssp. of Allium ampeloprasum. Bull. Fac. Agron. Univ. Tehran. Vol.6,1. IRAN
  5. Tahbaz, F. (1975). Weeds of rice fields of Iran. Bull. Fac. Agron., Univ.Tehran. Vol.7, 2,3. IRAN
  6. Tahbaz, F. ( 1976). Sur l' extension areale de Neottia nidus-avis (L.) RICH. Adansonia, ser.2,15(2):251-253. FRANCE
  7. Tahbaz, F. (1976). Sur l' extension aerale du Spiranthes spiralis (L.) Chevall. Bull. Soc. Bot. Fr. 12(3): 175-178. FRANCE.
  8. Tahbaz, F. (1976). Etude comparee des caryotypes de 2 Allium du groupe Ampeloprasum cultives en Iran. C. R. Acad. Sci., Paris, T.283. FRANCE.
  9. Tahbaz, F. (1977). Activities of Cytokinins in Cucumber cotyledon assays as compared with the tobacco callus bioassay. Bull. Soc. Fr. 12(4): 255-264. FRANCE
  10. Tahbaz, F. (1993). Calycanthaceae, Ceratophyllaceae, Empetraceae, and Paeoniaceae. In J. C. Hickman (ed)., The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California, University of California Press, Berkeley.

Books:

  1. Tahbaz, F. (1972). Plants Hormones and Development. University Press, Tehran, IRAN
  2. Tahbaz, F. (1992). Weed Biology. University Press, Tehran, IRAN
  3. Tahbaz, F. (1998). Weed Biology. University Press, Tehran, IRAN (2nd edition)
  4. Tahbaz, F. (2009). Paeoniaceae. In: Flora of North America. Volume 8, page 3-5. Oxford.
Web Publications
  1. Botanical Expedition to Iran