Magda Bou Dagher Kharrat, Ph.D
Content created by Virtual Intern Meghan Crowley
Magda Bou Dagher Kharrat is an important figure in Lebanese environmental conservation circles. She began her environmental career in 2008, and recently became the president of a nonprofit focusing on reforestation and launched an online database of native Lebanese flora (http://www.lebanon-flora.org).
In 2013, she participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) entitled “Women’s Innovation in Science and Engineering,” and spent three weeks in different cities across the United States. She expanded her network due to her IVLP and now collaborates with colleagues she met from the Smithsonian Institution. Together, they've researched DNA barcoding and metabarcoding, with the goal of exploring biodiversity. Another favorite memory from her IVLP experience was visiting the National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C. to see how they bring science to the world through their interactive programming.
Prior to her IVLP experience, most of Kharrat’s international collaboration took place with colleagues in other parts of the world. The exchange gave her an even broader network and provided opportunities to collaborate with Americans. Magda Bou Dagher Kharrat is a plant geneticist attempting to understand the historical evolutionary process of tree populations and flowering plants to help inform conservation policies. She has become a strong advocate for international exchange programs to build global connections.
Content edited by Sallie Bestul, Regina Navarro-Gomez, and Jenna Williams