Zoe Panchen
Zoe Panchen graduated from Loughborough University, UK earning a bachelors degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. She pursued a career in the high tech industry as a software designer and then manager in the field of telecoms. As her interest in plants and gardening grew, she enrolled for evening classes in horticulture culminating in graduating with a diploma in Horticulture from Algonquin College, Ottawa, Canada in 2007. She went on to complete a year of undergraduate studies in Botanical Science at McGill University, Montreal, Canada as a stepping stone to entering a masters program in horticulture. Zoe has worked as a gardener in residential gardens and a native plant demonstration garden and has also worked as a horticultural specialist at a garden centre.
Zoe’s thesis research is taking advantage of the long history of botany and public gardens in the Philadelphia area to study the phenological flowering response of Piedmont native plant species to climate change.
Outside horticulture, Zoe’s interests include triathlon (she has qualified for and competed in three Ironman World Championships in Hawaii) and world travel (she has visited over 50 countries across six continents to experience the culture and the natural areas). As a Longwood Graduate Fellow, Zoe is looking forward to expanding her knowledge of horticulture into the public garden sector and adapting her leadership skills to the world of horticulture.
Student Position: 2010 International Experience Leader
Board Position: University of Delaware Botanic Gardens
