The Yale EEB department is scheduled to double in size over the next few years, and construction on a facility devoted to environmental and biodiversity studies is already underway, according to Donoghue.

In his new position, Donoghue said he will work closely with Yale's Peabody Museum of Natural History and the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Part of his role will involve forming a link between those institutions and the EEB department, he said.

He will also be bringing several of his current projects with him. His recent work includes research in the origin of flowering plants and exploratory work on biodiversity in the eastern Himalayas.

"We are very excited about the prospect of Michael joining our faculty, and we think that we will have a productive relationship within the department," said Gunter P. Wagner, chair of the EEB department .

Donoghue's colleagues at Harvard said that he has been an exceptional leader at the herbaria and that he will be missed.

"He has been instrumental in rejuvenating one of Harvard's important biological assets," Knoll said. "He has also done great service as a teacher and has contributed to the general intellectual climate."

Donoghue's presence at Harvard also "increased the visibility of the herbaria in the international community," said Associate Professor of Biology David A. Baum.