Dr. Riggins conducts interdisciplinary research in plant evolution, variation, and utilization. Agricultural weeds serve as exceptional models for much of Dr. Riggins' work, which advances fundamental knowledge on rapid evolution and adaptive responses in agricultural environments via unintentional human-mediated selection. As CEL Herbarium Curator, Dr. Riggins is also a passionate advocate for agricultural biodiversity, traditional knowledge systems, and conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources.