Shona Ellis

Professor of Teaching

Academic History

  • Professor of Teaching (2012), University of British Columbia
  • Senior Instructor (2007 – 2012), University of British Columbia
  • M.Sc. Plant Natural Products Chemistry (1993), University of British Columbia
  • B.Sc. Botany (1985), University of British Columbia

Contact Information

  • shona@mail.ubc.ca
  • 604-822-9728
  • Office: Room 2521 – 6270 University Blvd

My Links


Courses Taught/Teaching

  • BIOL 324 – Seed Plant Taxonomy: Course Coordinator and Lab Instructor
  • BIOL 210 – Introduction to Vascular Plants: Course Coordinator, Lecturer, Lab Instructor
  • BIOL 321- Morphology and Evolution of Bryophytes: Course Coordinator, Lecturer, Lab Instructor
  • Public Website: http://blogs.ubc.ca/biology321 
  • BIOL 343- Plants and People (summer session): Course Coordinator, Lecturer, Lab Instructor

Selected Publications

Nachonechny, J and S. M. Ellis 2012 Bryofolios: Individual and Group E-portfolio Learning Spaces for Developing Authentic Science Scholars. In D. Cambridge (Ed.), Hershey PA: Global Diffusion of E-Portfolios: IGI Global Publications 

Ryall, K., Whitton, J., Schofield,W.B., Ellis, S.M. and A.J. Shaw. 2005 Molecular Phylogenetic Study of Interspecific Variation in the Moss Isothecium (Brachytheciaceae). Systematic Botany 30: 242-247. 

Ellis, S.M., 2004 Arbor vitae: A personal, teacher’s view of tree-life on the University of British Columbia Campus Davidsonia 15:1 pages 15 – 33. 

Ellis, S.M., Schofield, W.B., Haddad, N, Stewart, N., and J.K. Webb 2002 Bryophytes of UBC Botanical Garden Davidsonia 13:3 pages 35 – 43. 

McCutcheon, A. T., Stokes, R. W., Thorson, L. M., Ellis, S. M., Hancock, R. E. W., and Towers, G. H.N. 1997 Anti-Mycobacterial screening of British Columbian medicinal plants. J. Ethnopharmacognosy 35:77-103. 

Razal, R. A., Ellis, S. M., Singh, S., Lewis, N. U., and Towers, G. H. N. 1996 Nitrogen recycling in phenylpropanoid metabolism. Phytochemistry 41: 31-35.

Ellis, S. M, Balza, F., Constabel, P., Hudson, J.B. and Towers, G. H. N. 1995 Thiarubrines: Novel Dithiacyclohexadiene Polyyne Photosensitizers from Higher Plants In: Light-Activated Pest Control. ACS Symposium Series 616, Eds. Heitz, J.R., and Downum, K.R., pp. 174-178.

Ellis, S. M., Balza, F., Constabel, P., Hudson, J.B. and Towers, G. H. N. 1995 Thiarubrines: Novel Dithiacyclohexadiene Polyyne Photosensitizers from Higher Plants In: Light-Activated Pest Control. ACS Symposium Series 616, Eds. Heitz, J.R., and Downum, K.R., pp. 174-178. 

McCutcheon, A. T., Roberts.T. E., Gibbons, E., Ellis, S. M., Babiuk, L. A., Hancock, R. E. W., and Towers, G. H.N. 1995 Antiviral screening of British Columbian medicinal plants. J. Ethnopharmacology. 49: 101-110. 

McCutcheon, A. T., Ellis, S. M., Hancock, R. E. W., and Towers, G. H.N. 1994 Antifungal screening of medicinal plants of British Columbian native peoples. J. Ethnopharmacology 44: 157-169.

Towers, G. H. N. and Ellis, S. M. 1993 Secondary Metabolism in Plant Cultures Transformed withAgrobacterium tumefaciens and A. rhizogenes. CRC In: Human Medicinal Agents from Plants ACS Symmposium Series 534, Eds A. D. Kinghorn and M. F. Balanrin, pp. 56-78.

Ellis, S. M., Balza, F., and Towers, G. H. N. 1993 A dithiacyclohexadiene polyyne alcohol from Ambrosia chamissonis. Phytochemistry: 33: 224-226.

Ellis, S. M. and Towers, G. H. N. 1993 Root cultures of Asteraceae as sources of thiarubrines and other polyyne antibiotics. In Advances in Developmental Biology and Biotechnology of Higher Plants.(W. Y Soh, J. R. Liu, and A. Komamine eds.) The Korean Society of Plant Tissue Culture, pp. 454-473.

Towers, G. H. N. and Ellis, S. M. 1993 Secondary Metabolism in Plant Cultures Transformed withAgrobacterium tumefaciens and A. rhizogenes. CRC In: Human Medicinal Agents from Plants ACS Symmposium Series 534, Eds A. D. Kinghorn and M. F. Balanrin, pp. 56-78.

McCutcheon, A. T., Ellis, S. M., Hancock, R. E. W., and Towers, G. H.N. 1992 Antibiotic screening of medicinal plants of the British Columbian native peoples. J. Ethnopharmacology. 37: 213-223.

McDougall, S., Ellis, S. M., and Taylor, I. E. P. 1988 The occurrence of polar structures in callus cultures from mature lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia). Can. J. Bot. 66: 2595-2596.