Alexandra Griffin

Raised in New York City, Alexandra Griffin is a plant and soil ecologist based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Through a series of encounters—including Terry Evans’ book of photographs “Disarming the Prairie,” and Donald Worster’s 1930s Plains history “Dust Bowl”—Alex learned about the work of The Land Institute and a web of people thinking deeply about extraction, restoration, and stewardship of the prairies and the fertile soils they built. Alex’s time at The Land Institute led her to continue to work as a scientist, studying how people, plants, and their roots shape soil nutrient cycling. She received her M.S. in Agronomy, investigating the root architecture of Kernza perennial grain, and is now pursuing a PhD in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior at the University of Minnesota, where she studies soil carbon dynamics in forests and oak savanna silvopasture systems. After graduating with a BA in Biology from Williams College, Alex worked as a post-bac research assistant at The Land Institute from 2019 to 2020.

My most perennial trait is Collaboration – I live to work alongside others who “move in a common rhythm/when the food must come in or the fire be put out” (Marge Piercy) — and to be changed by them in the doing.

2018 Intern, 2019-20 Research Assistant at The Land Institute