Julia Kuzovkina

Professor
Interim Head of the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture

Dr. Julia Kuzovkina, Ph.D. is a Professor and the Interim Head of the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture (PSLA) at the University of Connecticut, where she has been a faculty member since 2005. Her academic background is rooted in ecological restoration and environmental horticulture, with research focusing on habitat restoration, native plants, and phytoremediation. Her work also emphasizes willows (Salix spp.), their taxonomy, nomenclature, and applications in environmental restoration and management. Dr. Kuzovkina has published in peer-reviewed journals and contributed to various book chapters.  

In addition to her research, she teaches several undergraduate courses and leads PSLA’s Early College Experience (ECE) program, which connects high school educators and students across Connecticut with UConn and the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR). 

Her leadership roles include chairing the Subcommittee on Nomenclature and Registration for the International Commission on Poplar and Other Fast-Growing Trees (FAO, United Nations), serving as a permanent member of the Special Commission for Cultivar Registration, and acting as the International Cultivar Registration Authority for Salix under the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS). She also serves as the PSLA Graduate Admissions Chair and is the principal investigator on a USDA-funded initiative that supports six National Needs Fellows within the department.