Rate My Professor David Lemke

David E. Lemke is a distinguished Professor and Regents' Teacher in the Department of Biology at Texas State University, where he has dedicated over 42 years to teaching and mentoring students. He holds a Ph.D. in Botany from The University of Texas at Austin, earned in 1983, and a B.S. in Biology with honors from Bucknell University in 1975. Throughout his career, Lemke has progressed from Assistant Professor (1984–1992) to Associate Professor (1992–1997), and full Professor since 1997. He has served as Associate Chair for Graduate Programs since 2006, Interim Department Chair for the 2024–2025 academic year, graduate advisor, and freshman laboratory coordinator for nearly three decades. Additional appointments include visiting positions at Louisiana State University, The University of Texas at El Paso, and Texas Tech University, as well as current roles as Research Associate at the Botanical Research Institute of Texas and Research Affiliate at the Plant Resources Center, The University of Texas at Austin.

Lemke's scholarly pursuits focus on the flora of Texas, systematic plant anatomy, floral and foliar scent production in carrion flowers, biology of aquatic plants, vegetation and floristic surveys, morphological and ecological studies of angiosperms, and paleobotanical investigations. He has produced approximately 50 peer-reviewed publications, including extensive contributions to the Flora of North America such as Apocynaceae (2023, with M. Fishbein and A. Krings), Allamanda (2023), and Lechea (2015); Grasses of the Texas Hill Country: vegetative key and descriptions (Phytoneuron 2015-4, with K.W. Hagenbuch); and authored laboratory manuals like Laboratory exercises in ecology and evolution (2nd ed., 2024) and multiple editions of Laboratory manual for modern biology. His accolades include the Minnie Stevens Piper Professor Award (2022), Regents’ Teacher by the Texas State University System (2023), Everette Swinney Faculty Senate Excellence in Teaching Awards (2021, 2022), Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching (1998), and election as Fellow of the Texas Academy of Science (1990). Lemke curates the Texas State University Herbarium, organizes the annual Christmas Mountains Research Symposium since its inception, advises student organizations such as the Texas State Plant Biology Society, and contributes editorially to journals like the Southwestern Naturalist and Texas Journal of Science. He frequently delivers public lectures to groups including the Native Plant Society of Texas and has mentored numerous students resulting in co-authored presentations and publications at scientific meetings.