Mr Charles Hussey

Biography

Employment history

April 2008 - present    Science Data Co-ordinator (NHM Band 4), Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity.

2001 - March 2008     Science Data Co-ordinator (NHM Band 4), Dept. of Libraries and Information Services.

1998 - 2001     Head of Collections Systems Development (temporary NHM Band 3), secondment to Dept. of Libraries and Information Services.

1995 - 1998     Systems Manager (NHM Band 4), Dept. of Zoology.

1992 - 1994     Seconded to Facilities & Resources Division, Dept. of Zoology, to cover management of IT & permanent equipment in Department and develop Collections Management System for Department.

1990 - 1992     Curator, Invertebrates II Division, Dept. of Zoology, with sole responsibility for Echinoderm & Coelenterate Collections.

1973 - 1990     Curator, Parasitic Worms Section, Dept. of Zoology, with research interests in monogenean fish parasites and Rotifera. Produced computerised Host-Parasite Catalogue in 1987. Managed permanent equipment in Department since 1981

Qualifications

1973:  BSc (Hons), Botany & Zoology, University of London.

1970:  ‘A’ levels in Biology, Physical Science, Mathematics, St Paul’s School, W. London

Current Work

Special projects

PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure)

 

PESI is a three-year project, which started in May 2008, funded by the European Union under the Framework 7 Capacities Work Programme: Research Infrastructures. It is being led by the University of Amsterdam and involves 40 partner organisations from 26 countries. I am leading a work package that deals with taxonomic standards and authority files. The other partners in this work package are: Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, CAB International, International Commission for Zoological Nomenclature, National University of Ireland Galway and Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle Paris.

Species Dictionary Service

I am the manager of this project, which provides a nomenclator service for the UK. It serves the taxonomy underpinning the National Biodiversity Network Gateway and Recorder software. The Species Dictionary is a database holding 247,800 instances of names of organisms. It contains 220 separate checklists (with (303 versions) and provides complete coverage of authoritative names for 80% out of 110 taxonomic groups. There is a publicly accessible website at 

The National Biodiversity Network's Species Dictionary

 

.

Previous Work

Experience

• General curation of various invertebrate groups, comprising wet, dry and slide material.
• Taxonomic research on parasitic Platyhelminths & Rotifera
• Field Collecting, UK & Papua New Guinea
• Collections Documentation
• Database Design & Development (relational & non-relational databases)
• Document imaging projects
• Programming experience: Fortran, Basic, Smart, Paradox (DOS & Windows), Access, SQL, HTML
• Museum Administration: management, service & repair of permanent equipment, including microscopes & computing equipment, procurement, committee work, staff recruiting, strategic planning.
• IT Administration: Systems management - desktop operating systems, Novell & Windows NT. Front-line IT support (hardware, software & applications), procurement and installation (hardware & software). Strategic planning.
• Project Management: ownership of major projects, including Lottery-funded and EU-funded projects. Includes specifying, fundraising, documentation, reporting and training.
• Editing and refereeing scientific publications

Completed projects

Management of Nature Navigator project for New Opportunities Digitise programme (2001-2004) 

Nature Navigator

 

European Natural History Specimen Information Network (EU funded project) (2000-2003)

ENHSIN

 

Replacement of Zoology Dept. Collections System (2000-2001)

Rebuild of Palaeontology Dept. Collections System (1998-2001

SPICE for Species 2000 (a BBSRC/EPSRC funded project) (1999-2001)

Management of project to digitise the Zoology Department Accession Registers (1996-1998)

Design and implementation of Collections System for NHM Life Sciences departments (1993-1995)

Build database application for a Host-Parasite Catalogue (1987)

Compile Checklist of British Rotifera (1976-1980)

 

Professional affiliations

Scientific Fellow of the Zoological Society of London. 1975-2001

Fellow of the Royal Microscopical Society. 1981-1999

Member of Natural Sciences Collections Association (formerly Biology Curators Group)

Member of CODATA Working Group on Access to Biological Collections Data 

ABCD Schema - Task Group on Access to Biological Collection Data

Other Interests

Microscopy

I have been a member of the Quekett Microscopical Club since 1975 (and an Honorary Member since 2001). The Quekett is a learned society catering for amateur and professional microscopists, which was founded in 1865 and is still going strong! Whilst my museum career has moved from science into biodiversity informatics, I retain an interest in microscopy as a hobby and hope to return to the                                       study of Rotifera as I near retirement.

One of the highlights of my career was when I started to investigate rotifers using a scanning electron microscope. I believe that I was the first person ever to have observed the beautiful Floscularia ringens at such high magnification.

Publications

Publications

2008

• Hussey, C., de Jong, Y. & Remsen, D. ( 2008 ) Actual usage of biological nomenclature and its implications for data integrators; a national, regional and global perspective. Zootaxa 1950 : 5-8 . Zootaxa

2007

• Tweddle, J. & Hussey, C., ( 2007 ) Compiling and maintaining the Taxon Dictionary for the Recorder software package. In: Proceedings of the first international Recorder Conference, Luxembourg 2-3 December 2005. Ferrantia 51 : 67-79. . Ferrantia

2006

• Hussey, C., Wilkinson, S. & Tweddle, J. ( 2006 ) Delivering a name-server for biodiversity information. Data Science Journal 5 : 18-28 . Data Science Journal

2005

• Hussey, C. G. & Wilkinson, S., ( 2005 ) Providing access to biodiversity data in the National Biodiversity Network. ERCIM News No. 63 : 57 . ERCIM News

1989

• Gibson, D.I. & Hussey, C.G. ( 1989 ) A PC-based catalogue of helminth parasites and their hosts. pp. 31-32 in: Abstracts of papers and posters presented at the 1989 Joint Spring Meeting of the British, Netherlands and Belgian Societies for Parasitology with the Belgian Society of Protozoology. University of Southampton, 20-22nd March l989. .
• Hollowday, E.D. & Hussey, C.G. ( 1989 ) A re-appraisal of two members of the genus Notholca from the Andes, with a note on the fine structure of the lorica of N. foliacea (Ehrenberg) Hydrobiologia 186/187 : 319-324, 2 pls. .

1988

• Hussey, C.G. ( 1988 ) Rotifera. [Section in] Sims (R W), Freeman (P) & Hawksworth (D L) (Editors), Key works to the fauna and flora of the British Isles and north-western Europe. (Fifth edition) Systematics Association Special Volume No. 33 : 51-54 .

1986

• Hussey, C.G. ( 1986 ) Some monogenean parasites of marine perciform fishes of Kuwait. Journal of Natural History 20 : 415-430 13 figs .

1984

• Hussey, C.G. ( 1984 ) Rotifera: Living jewels. The Living Countryside 173 : 3452-3453, 4 figs. .

1983

• Hussey, C.G. ( 1983 ) Survey of Bookham Common : Rotifera. The London Naturalist No. 62 : 90 .
• Hussey, C.G. ( 1983 ) [Review of film] Biology of rotifers, Part I, swimming and feeding, Part II, reproduction. French Scientific Film Library. British Universities Film & Video Council Newsletter No. 49 : 12-13. .
• Hussey, C.G. ( 1983 ) Some historical specimens of rotifers examined by scanning electron microscopy. Hydrobiologia 104 : 131-134, 8 figs. .

1981

• Hussey, C.G. ( 1981 ) A checklist and bibliography of records of Rotifera (Rotatoria) in Britain. . British Museum (Natural History) : London , 8 pp + 10 microfiche [of 910 pp. + 2 maps]. .

1980

• Hussey, C.G. ( 1980 ) An historical survey of the collection and study of rotifers in Britain. Hydrobiologia 73 : 237-240, 3 figs. .
• Hussey, C.G. ( 1980 ) Mesozoa, Gnathostomulida, Nemertinea, Rotifera, Kinorhyncha, Gastrotricha, Priapulida. [Sections in] Sims (R W) (Editor), Animal identification, A reference guide. Vol.1 Marine and brackish water animals, British Museum (Natural History) & John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, pp 15, 16-17, 21-22, 26-28; Vol.:2 Land and freshwater animals, [Sections on] Nemertinea, Rotifera, Gastrotricha. pp.17, 25-27. .

1978

• Prudhoe, S. & Hussey, C.G. ( 1978 ) Mesozoa, Platyhelminthes, Nemertinea, Aschelminthes, Acanthocephala, Priapulida. [Sections in] Kerrich (G J), Hawksworth (D L) & Sims (R W) (Editors.), Key works to the fauna and flora of the British Isles and north-western Europe. Systematics Association Special Volume No. 9 : 18, 24-34 .

1977

• Prudhoe, S. & Hussey, C.G. ( 1977 ) Some parasitic worms in freshwater fishes and fish-predators from the Transvaal, South Africa. Zoologica Africana 12(1) : 113-147, 17 figs .