Excellence in Botanical Research Award
John Thor Arnason, PhD, received the 2015 ABC Norman R. Farnsworth Excellence in Botanical Research Award.
Arnason is a professor of biology at the University of Ottawa in Ontario, Canada, and his lab specializes in the phytochemistry and biological activity of plants.
“Thor exemplifies some of the best aspects of medicinal plant research,” said Blumenthal. “He is an ethnobotanist, working with indigenous peoples who share their traditional plant wisdom, and he is also a laboratory scientist who explores the chemistry of these plants.”
ABC Chief Science Officer Stefan Gafner added: “I consider Thor to be one of the foremost North American researchers in ethnobotany. He has also contributed to our knowledge of many of the more widely used botanicals. But most of all, he is a very generous and humble person.”