Beronda L. Montgomery, PhD is writer, science communicator, and researcher. During 2025-2026, she is serving as the Sally Starling Seaver Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard University. Beronda has spent 20 years in academia, most recently as Vice President for Academic Affairs/Dean (2022-2024) and Professor of Biology of Grinnell College (2022-present). Prior to that Dr. Montgomery was an endowed Professor of Biochemistry and senior administrator, including Assistant Provost of Faculty Development and Associate Vice President of Research and Innovation, at Michigan State University (2004-2022). As a researcher, Dr. Montgomery studies how individuals perceive, respond to, and are impacted by environments in which they exist. Her laboratory-based research efforts are focused on the responses of photosynthetic organisms to external light and nutrient cues. Additionally, Dr. Montgomery pursues this theme in the context of effective mentoring and academic leadership. Dr. Montgomery is a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology (2018), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2020), the American Society of Plant Biologists (2021) and the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (2022), as well as American Society for Cell Biology Mentoring Keynote honoree (2021). She was named one of Cell‘s Inspiring Black Scientists in America. Dr. Montgomery has received the Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Award from the American Society of Plant Biologists (2024), Excellence in Supporting Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging from the North American Arabidopsis Steering Committee (2024), and 2023 Hutchinson Medal of the Chicago Horticultural Society. In 2025 she was named recipient of the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM), the Nation's highest honors for mentors who work to fully develop the Nation's human resources in STEM. Dr. Montgomery is author of two books Lessons from Plants (Harvard University Press, 2021) and When Trees Testify (Henry Holt, 2026).
