As associate director of conservation horticulture and plant breeding, Peter leads a team of scientists and horticulturists focused on conservation horticulture, plant exploration, plant breeding, and living collections through a combination of field, garden, and laboratory-based projects and approaches. His work focuses on the development and implementation of a comprehensive conservation horticulture program based on U.S. native orchids that encompasses seed banking, in vitro seed germination, development of living collections, and restoration of orchid populations.