Shirley Cotter Tucker (born 1927) is an American botanist, lichenologist, and a former Boyd Professor of botany at Louisiana State University.
[4] Cotter maintained her interest in botany as an undergraduate student at the University of Minnesota; during this time, she collected over 4000 herbarium specimens.
In 1951, Cotter became a graduate student in botany at University of California, Davis, studying under Katherine Esau.
[2] After graduating, Tucker had trouble finding permanent work at a university or college that would give her access to research funding.
[4] In 1968, Tucker was hired as a tenure track assistant professor at Louisiana State University, where she taught botany.