Briefly, tell us about your background and career up to this point?
I took Zoology and Botany at A level and then read for a Zoology degree at King’s. I was lucky enough to stay at King’s to do a PhD with Dr David Pye who had invented an ultrasound detector. He studied the ultrasonic calls of bats and I used his equipment to study the ultrasonic calls of rodents. I then obtained a Post Doctoral position to remain with Dr (then Professor Pye at Queen Mary College) and later returned to King’s as a lecturer where I have been ever since.
When the college decided to abolish the Biological and Environmental Sciences Department and to cease teaching Biological Sciences as a degree subject I transferred to the Anatomy Department, and a couple of years later was asked to take over the botanical and zoological collections that remained and form them into a Museum. I am still here…
What is a typical day like for you?
There is no typical day. Running the Museum of Life Sciences involves ensuring that the specimens are well looked after and documented including the purchase of appropriate equipment and resources, seeking advice from other museums/experts on the care and conservation of specimens.
My role also involves planning and running workshops for schools, making specimens available for other members of staff for research or teaching, organising volunteers who are vital to the work of the Museum, planning and running open days for the general public, liaising with other organisations to run joint workshops or open days and doing all the paperwork involved. Therefore, what I do will depend on what is happening and what is needed.
What do you do with your time outside academia/work?
I enjoy gardening and am a beekeeper and bellringer. I teach on beekeeping courses for beginners and teach new ringers.
Who inspires you most and why?
I am one of many who admire Charles Darwin for his persistence in obtaining meticulous evidence for his emerging theory of evolution, for his hesitation in presenting to the public for fear of the reaction of fellow scientists and the church and for his generosity of spirit in being prepared to acknowledge that the younger man, Alfred Russel Wallace had come to the same conclusion about evolution and insisting that his ideas were presented alongside his own.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
The formation of the Museum of Life Science.
What is your favourite thing about working at King’s?
The friendliness and cooperation of close colleagues.
What is your favourite part of your role?
Interacting with our wonderful band of volunteers, former members of staff, current and former students and many others who have heard of the Museum and come to help on a regular basis.
Quick questions
Favourite season: Spring
Favourite book: Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice
Favourite scientist: Charles Darwin
The quality you value most in others: Helpfulness.