I have always loved the natural world and from a young age, could be found grubbing around on the beach or in the woods looking for rocks, sticks and wriggly things. In order to facilitate this love in later life I studied for a degree in Ecology at Oxford Brookes University. Perversely, it was through this course that led me to working indoors with museum collections. I am now Head of Life Collections at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, and in charge of the team that looks after the Zoology material, some 5 million specimens and counting. I completed a Masters in Museum Studies in 2017 and have written several papers focussing on historic museum collections, their history, use, importance and the people behind the specimens. I currently have a special interest in the Octavius Pickard-Cambridge Exotic Araneae Collection, which is type rich yet full of interesting historical puzzles that require an in-depth study of both the specimens and associated archives.
I am current Junior Vice-President for the British Entomological and Natural History Society (2022-24) and thrilled to be Council member for the National Forum for Biological Recording.
I promote equity in Science wherever I can, with a special emphasis on women in Entomology, a discipline that has been traditional male occupied. I am the first woman to be in charge of the Hope Entomological Collections at OUMNH in its 160+ year history. I particularly enjoy working with students and early career researchers, maintaining a network of women scientists and collaborators. I am always open to research projects, especially those that linked to museums and collections.
When not in the museum I can be found either tramping the countryside, still poking things with sticks and hunting out wriggly things or curled up somewhere, cup of coffee and a good book in hand.