| William Louis Culberson | |
| Birth Date: | 5 April 1929 |
| Birth Place: | Indianapolis, Indiana, United States |
| Death Place: | Durham, North Carolina, United States |
| Fields: | Lichenology |
| Workplaces: | Duke University |
| Alma Mater: | University of Cincinnati, University of Paris, University of Wisconsin - Madison |
| Doctoral Advisor: | John Walter Thomson |
| Awards: | Acharius Medal (1992) |
| Spouse: | Chicita F. Forman (m. 1953) |
William Louis "Bill" Culberson (April 5, 1929 in Indianapolis, Indiana – February 8, 2003 in Durham, North Carolina) was an American lichenologist.
Culberson earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Cincinnati, where he was influenced by E. Lucy Braun;[1] he subsequently attended the University of Paris and the University of Wisconsin - Madison.
In 1955, Culberson joined the botany department at Duke University; he subsequently managed Duke's acquisition of the lichen-centric herbaria of Julien Harmand and Johan Havaas. He served as the Hugo L. Blomquist Professor.[2] In 2010, the lichen collection was officially named the William Louis & Chicita F. Culberson Lichen Herbarium & Library.
He served as president of the Botanical Society of America and the American Bryological and Lichenological Society[3] and as director of the Sarah P. Duke Gardens.[4] He was the first editor-in-chief of the journal Systematic Botany.[5] In 1992, he became one of the first modern recipients of the Acharius Medal.[6]
In 2000, botanist Theodore Esslinger circumscribed Culbersonia, which is a fungal genus in the family Caliciaceae and named in Bill Culberson and Chicita F. Culberson's honour, his "longtime friends and mentors".[7] [8]
In 1953,[9] Dr. Culberson married fellow lichenologist Chicita F. Forman.