NEW SCIENTISTS

• CHRISTINA JAMES: Post-doctoral Research Assistant
• CLAIRE THORNTON : Assistant curator
• CLARE BRADLEY SMITH: Digitisation technician

CHRISTINA JAMES Job title Post-doctoral Research Assistant Appointed in May 1999 for 3 years. Christina was previously a Post-doc at the University of Birmingham (1995-1998) studying genetic diversity in insect populations from recently fragmented environments and undertaking a phylogeographic and molecular systematic study of Lycaenid butterflies (genus Aricia) from the UK and Scandinavia. Her PhD research at the University of Queensland was a phylogenetic study of a group of sedge frogs (Hylidae: Litoria bicolor spp. group) from eastern Australia and New Guinea. Both projects involved lots of field work in the UK and Australia respectively, so she's fairly well travelled in both countries and a pretty good 4x4 driver (sand dunes a speciality).

The job involves identifying glacial refugia in Mediterranean Europe, using ferns as a model, so lots of molecular genetics assessing allelic (allozymes and microsatellites) and haplotype (chloroplast) diversity, working with Johannes Vogel, Mary Gibby and Dr. John Barrett, University of Cambridge on a NERC funded project.

Interested in Botany since taking course BO205 in Aquatic Botany at the University of Queensland as an undergrad. Prof Alan Cribb introduced us to the wonders of the inter-tidal zone. It was my first hands-on experience at mounting (floating) algae for herbarium specimens - and mine looked fantastic!

Botanical loves: the stunning Jacaranda in bloom across a city-scape, (a common sight in Australian towns in November).

Botanical hates: stinging nettles and poison oak.

CLAIRE THORNTON Job title Assistant Curator Appointed from 1st October 1999, Claire previously worked as a photographic collection cataloguing assistant at the University of Cambridge's Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, and as an archaeologist on various projects.

The job involves setting up and running specific database projects, digital photography, IT support and other general curatorial duties.

Interested in Botany since developing an interest in economic botany and historic uses of plants etc. However my main interest as far as my job is concerned is collections management (MA Museum Studies!), so the databasing and computing aspects are relevant to my interests. I don't really know anything about the botany tackled in the department, although I did spend nearly 12 weeks counting pollen grains for my MSc - never again!

Botanical loves: archaeo-botanical interests include issues related to the transition between mesolithic - neolithic subsistence.

Botanical hates: well, it seems to me to be quite a difficult discipline to just 'pick up'

CLARE BRADLEY SMITH Job title Digitisation Technician Appointed in June 1999 for 1 year, Clare previously worked in museums, dealing with art work and working as an art conservator.

The job involves digitizing two historically important botanical collections, one being the Hans Sloane collection from Jamaica and the other is Hermann's Ceylon collection. The images along with relevant information will then be accessible on the WWW enabling botanists worldwide to view the collections. I have been working with Tiffane Bates who inputted all the plant names and information onto the database and worked with Dennis Adams who researched the Sloane collection. Dennis and I will work together to put the final details onto the database and to research Sloane himself. I will then designe a web site for both collections.

Interested in Botany since ...I have never been interested in studying Botany as such and prefer plants of the more 3 - Dimensional variety to those found in a herbarium. However, since working in the Botany department, I have developed an amazing skill of being able to kill the hardiest of plants in my attempts to grow them.

Botanical loves: plants such as wisteria and ivy.

Botanical hates: thistles.