I am Deputy Director of Science at RBGE, responsible for the Preserved Collections, which include our Herbarium, Library and Archives.

These precious collections hold contemporary as well as historic records of biodiversity, memory and culture in the form of herbarium specimens, publications, objects and art.

We are working to bring these multi-faceted collections to bear on the contemporary challenges facing humanity.

My own research programme is concerned with the diversity and value of desert plants in a changing world. We study global patterns in succulent plant diversity and the evolutionary processes underlying their extraordinary adaptations and ecological success, using the charismatic genus Aloe (Asphodelaceae) as a model system. We use phylogenetics as a tool for identifying patterns in plant value and useful properties, and how these can be applied to decision-making around priority species in research and conservation.

I’m interested in leveraging herbarium collections to accelerate the characterisation and identification of species in near real-time. My research approach integrates the laboratory with field observations and curated collections of living plants in botanic gardens, and collaborations with an array of experts across disciplines.