Paula DePriest is an American lichenologist and specialist in artefact conservation.
[1] She initially worked at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, USA and was appointed the curator of the lichen collection.
[1] Her research focuses on lichens, particularly the phylogenetic and cultural relationships of those used as forage in reindeer herding regions of Mongolia, the Cladoniaceae.
She also studies the deterioration of outdoor sculpture and monuments that can be caused by fungi and lichens and has worked in a project about deer stones in collaboration with the Mongolian Academy of Sciences.
[3][4] DePriest is the author or co-author of over 90 scientific publications and book chapters.