Beyond Aromatics

Evolutionary Development of Essential Oils in All Plants

Evolutionary Development of Essential Oils in All Plants

Dr. DorothyBelle (DB) Poli went to the University of Pittsburgh and she majored in Biology and minored in Art History. She then attended graduate school at the University of Maryland in the department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics. Here DB received her PhD in Plant Biology with a thesis surrounding the evolution of the plant axis.  She would describe herself as a plant evolutionary physiologist.  After a post-doctoral fellowship exploring the role of the gene known as CCC, a pollen development gene, DB began her career at Roanoke College. Now a full professor, DB has an active research laboratory that studies a variety of plant biology: a small group explores the plant hormone auxin, several examine essential oil ethnobotany, and a large research group investigates how plant fossils may have influenced dragon folklore around the world.  This last project is part of the Dragon Research Collaborative.   When not at Roanoke College, DB is also a Research Associate at the Virginia Museum of Natural History. As the owner and chief product designer of Blue Bear Natural Skincare, DB also enjoys using her certified aromatherapy education to develop new research based products for clients.

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