Short presentation

Professor & Curator of Botany

I am a biodiversity scientist working on plant-pollinator interactions and plant diversity. I use a combination of environmental DNA (eDNA), metabarcoding, genomics and museomics to answer questions about how environmental change impacts species and their interactions over current and historical timeframes. 

Examples of current research include:

• Greenland plant diversity patterns and pollination networks in a changing Arctic.
• Effect of glacier retreat on ecosystem processes and plant-pollinator interactions.
• Saving Pollinators: the value of gardens and amenity spaces for providing floral resources for pollinators.
• Harnessing eDNA for surveillance and management of agro-biodiversity (part of One Crop Health).

As Curator of Botany, I am responsible for the 2 million vascular plant specimens within Herbarium C and the living collection of plants within the Botanical Garden. 

Public engagement with science is a key part of my work, especially using art-science to explore how humans connect with the natural world. I am Lead Curator of the Biodiversity Gallery, one of the permanent galleries within the new Natural History Museum of Denmark.

I am course leader for the Masters Course in Tropical Botany and teach on the Field Course in Ecology and Evolution of East African Savannas and Forests based in the Udzungwa Mountains of Tanzania.

CV

EMPLOYMENT

• 2024 – present: Full Professor and Curator of Botany, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen.
• 2021 – 2024: Associate Professor, Curator of Botany and Head of Section for Botany, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen.
• 2007 – 2021: Head of Science, National Botanic Garden of Wales, UK.
• 2012 – 2021: Senior Lecturer, Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth University, UK (Joint appointment with my role at the National Botanic Garden of Wales).
• 2001 – 2007: Conservation Officer, Wild Planet Trust, UK
• 1998 – 2000: Science Teacher, South Dartmoor Community College, UK.

BOARD POSITIONS

• 2019 – 2022: Member of Council, Linnean Society of London.
• 2019 – 2022: Trustee of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.

EDUCATION

• 2002 – 2007: PhD, Plymouth University, Biological Sciences (P/T). The Ecology and Genetics of Cirsium dissectum (L.) Hill in the British Isles and Implications for its Conservation.
• 1997 – 1998: PGCE (Post-Graduate Certificate in Education) Exeter University, School of Education.
• 1996 – 1997: MSc Biodiversity and Taxonomy of Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh and Edinburgh University. 
• 1992 – 1995: BA (Hons) Biological Sciences Oxford University, St Anne’s College. First class degree and awarded the Harley Prize for the highest academic achievement in Plant Sciences.