Brent Mishler is director of the University and Jepson Herbaria at University of California, Berkeley, as well as a professor in the Department of Integrative Biology, where he teaches phylogenetic systematics, plant diversity, evolution and island biology. A native Southern Californian, he received his B.S. and M.S. from Cal Poly, Pomona (in 1975 and 1978 respectively), his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1984, and then joined the faculty at Duke University for nine years before moving to University of California, Berkeley in 1993.

His research interests are centered on the systematics, evolution, and ecology of bryophytes, ranging from broad-scale relationships of mosses and liverworts, to studies of systematics, reproductive biology, physiology, and ecology of the diverse moss genus Syntrichia. He also works on the overall phylogeny of green plants and the theory of systematics. He applies methods ranging from microscopy through growth experiments, DNA sequencing, and genomics.

Mishler is active in public outreach, frequently teaching workshops for the general public and teachers about phylogenetics and evolution, as well as bryophyte systematics and ecology.