Dr Alexander Hetherington
Dr Alexander (Sandy) Hetherington is an evolutionary palaeobiologist who studies the origin and diversification of land plants. He works at the interface between the Life and Earth Sciences, combining studies of fossil plants with investigation of developmental and genetic networks in living species.
His lab has a special focus on studies of lycophytes and ferns and is underpinned by a wealth of exceptionally preserved fossils, such as those from the famous Scottish fossil locality the Rhynie chert. He is currently using this interdisciplinary approach to investigate the evolution of key plant innovations, such as meristems, vascular tissue, leaves and roots.
He is a Research Associate at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and National Museums Scotland as well as a holding the position of a Senior Lecturer at University of Edinburgh.
For more information about Sandy’s research please see his lab website.