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Deeply Committed Scientist and Mentor

Vanessa Koelling ’00

November 18, 2025, in Montgomery, Alabama, after complications following surgery.

Dr. Vanessa Anne Koelling was the only child of Norvella and James Koelling. Her deep appreciation of flowering plants began in Oregon, where her parents encouraged her curiosity through annual camping trips and long afternoons spent with her mom identifying wildflowers on their 300-acre property.

While Vanessa was raised in Yamhill, Oregon, her early years were also shaped by a love of travel, with adventures that took her to Canada, Mexico, and Ireland and Scotland after high school, and Egypt after college. She graduated as valedictorian of Yamhill Carlton High School in 1996.

At Reed, Vanessa thrived both personally and academically, forming lifelong friendships and conducting research on nectar-spur variation in Delphinium nuttallii with her mentor, Professor Keith Karoly [biology]. After graduating, she continued working in the Karoly lab as a research technician, making substantial contributions to studies of floral trait evolution in Brassica.

In 2002, Vanessa joined the University of Georgia’s Department of Genetics as a PhD student, working with Dr. Rodney Mauricio on reproductive barriers between two species of Leavenworthia endemic to the limestone outcrops and cedar glades of Alabama. After earning her doctorate in 2008, she moved to the University of Kansas, joining Dr. John Kelly’s lab and advancing research on plant mating-system evolution in Mimulus. She ultimately joined the faculty at the University of Puget Sound as a visiting assistant professor of biology, where she taught undergraduate courses in evolution and genetics.

In 2018, Vanessa became an assistant professor in the biology and environmental science department at Auburn University at Montgomery, where she taught both genetics and evolution and coordinated the undergraduate biology lecture and lab course. She eventually redesigned this course into a full-semester Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE), a massive undertaking that provided students with hands-on, inquiry-driven learning.

Vanessa was deeply committed to mentoring students and expanding access to research experiences. She guided many undergraduates through independent research projects at both the University of Puget Sound and Auburn, her students from both universities earning travel awards that allowed them to present their work at international scientific conferences. Vanessa earned tenure at Auburn and was promoted to associate professor in 2023.

Cerebral and politically engaged, Vanessa was active in local political campaigns in Alabama and was equally passionate about native plant restoration. She was a devoted daughter, friend, mentor, and colleague—and her absence is felt profoundly.

Vanessa is survived by her mother, Norvella.

Appeared in Reed magazine: Fall 2026

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