Rate My Professor Cliff Morden

Morden's academic interests center on population genomics and conservation strategies for critically endangered Hawaiian species, including Kokia, Portulaca, and Sida fallax. His research addresses genetic diversity, evolution, biogeography, and hybridization in endemic Hawaiian plants such as Acacia, Sesbania, Euphorbia, and Bidens, as well as phylogenomics, chloroplast genomics, pollination biology of species like Brighamia insignis and Clermontia, invasive Poaceae hybrids, and fungal diversity from plant DNA banks. He employs molecular techniques including RAPD, ISSR, SRAP, microsatellite markers, and chloroplast genome assembly. Key publications include “Population Genomics Informs Conservation Strategies for Critically Endangered Kokia Species in Hawai‘i” (2025), “A reevaluation of the nomenclature of Hawaiian Acacia” (2025), “Genetic Diversity Among Populations of Endemic Hawaiian Portulaca sclerocarpa and P. villosa (Portulacaceae) Assessed Using SRAP Markers” (2025), “Genomic diversity and evolution in the Hawaiian Islands endemic Kokia (Malvaceae)” (2024), “Population genetics of Sida fallax Walp. (Malvaceae) in the Hawaiian Islands” (2024), “Spontaneous hybridization among invasive Poaceae in Hawai‘i: Chloris × pseudosagrana nothosp. nov. and Cenchrus × peregrinus nothosp. nov.” (2024), “Tetramolopium stemmermanniae (Asteraceae), a New Species from Pōhakuloa Training Area, Hawai'i Island” (2023), and “A comparison of freezer-stored DNA and herbarium tissue samples for chloroplast assembly and genome skimming” (2023). Morden has authored over 300 publications, accumulating nearly 5,000 citations.