Dr. Elise Gornish is a Cooperative Extension Specialist in Ecological Restoration at the
University of Arizona. Her research and outreach program largely focuses on identifying
strategies for successful restoration in arid land systems and integration of restoration approaches
into weed management.
Originally from New York, Dr. Gornish received her MS and PhD from Florida State University
in 2013. She then completed two years of a post doc at the University of California, Davis.
Dr. Gornish is an early career leader in the fields of arid land restoration and weed management
and has published over 60 papers and has presented over 200 times at various venues.
In addition to vegetation management, Dr. Gornish is passionate about STEM inclusion and in
2018 become the Director of UA GALS (Girls on outdoor Adventure for Leadership and
Science). This new program focuses on providing science learning and leadership opportunities
to traditionally underserved female high school students through backcountry programming.
