Herbarium Research Staff



Meet the Herbarium team

Dr Olwen Grace, Deputy Director of Science (Collections) and Curator of the Herbarium

I am Deputy Director of Science at RBGE, responsible

Read full bio
Dr Elspeth Haston, Deputy Herbarium Curator

My experience is in taxonomic research, curation systems and digitisation. My work has included the development of tools, processes and workflows to aid with curation in herbaria. My current focus is on large-scale digitisation, including looking at integrating digitisation into curatorial and research processes.

Read full bio
Suzanne Cubey, Deputy Herbarium Curator

As a Deputy Herbarium Curator I have specific responsibilities in the day to day running of the Herbarium. I also have a particular interest in the destructive sampling from Herbarium Specimens and the extensive Cultivated Herbarium which links both the Science and the Living Collection departments of the RBGE.

Rob Cubey, Plant Records Officer

I am the Plant Records Officer of the RBGE, handling the data management for both the Living and Herbarium collections.

Read full bio
Dr Heleen Plaisier, Assistant Herbarium Curator

I manage the Cryptogamic Section of the Herbarium. This involves the curation of the Cryptogam collections, processing new accessions, supporting loans and destructive sampling, and providing support for users of the Cryptogam collections.

Lesley Scott, Assistant Herbarium Curator

I am one of the Assistant Herbarium Curators with the responsibility for loans and visitors. In addition to helping taxonomy researchers access our Collection, I'm increasingly working with artists who wish to explore the Herbarium.

Marie Briggs, Assistant Herbarium Curator

I curate specimens in the herbarium, maintaining and improving the current collections and incorporating new accessions with the aim of supporting RBGE’s world class scientific research. I have a particular interest in the flora of SE Asia and New Guinea, particularly the family Rubiaceae and the genus Saurauia in Actinidiaceae.

Robyn Drinkwater, Digitisation Officer and Technical Developer

I am part of the team responsible for the digitisation of herbarium specimens and library and archives.

 

 

 

Read full bio
Sally King, Digitisation Officer and Volunteer Co-ordinator

I am part of the team responsible for the digitisation of herbarium specimens and library and archives. I am the herbarium camera officer thus responsible for maintaining camera operability for the herbarium digitisation programme. As Herbarium Volunteer Coordinator I coordinate the in-house departmental programme, as well as providing training and supervision for volunteer curation and digitisation projects. I also management volunteer engagement and support for our online citizen science projects.

Read full bio
Kate Eden, Herbarium Technician

I prepare new dried pressed plant specimens for the Herbarium collection, and do remedial conservation (repairs) of older specimens.

Jennifer McCutcheon, Herbarium Technician

I prepare new dried pressed plant specimens for the Herbarium collection and maintain the Spirit collection.

Gillian Murray, Herbarium Technician

I prepare new dried plant specimens for the Herbarium.

Erzsebet Gyongy, Herbarium Assistant

I am a herbarium assistant. I make sure that the new specimens coming into the herbarium have the correct data attached and I oversee the process of laying away by which the specimens are filed in the correct place in the sequence. I am interested in using new technology to speed up these processes.

Lorna Mitchell, Head of Library and Archives

Lorna is responsible for the strategic management and day-to-day running of the Library and Archives at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE).

This includes:

  • maintenance and development of the collections, including cataloguing, digitisation and preservation;
  • public engagement activities to increase awareness of the Library and Archive collections;
  • fundraising and income generation to support Library and Archive projects;
  • records management.
Leonie Paterson, Archivist

Leonie started at RBGE in 2000 as a Library Assistant. Over the years, her interest in the George Forrest collection and RBGE’s history led to her becoming involved in the care and curation of the Archives.  She now has a qualification in Archives Management and is responsible for RBGE’s historic archives which involves their arrangement, listing, cataloguing and environment, but in particular helping people access and use the collections (and a fair amount of talking about George Forrest!)

Graham Hardy, Serials Librarian

Graham Hardy has worked in the RBGE Library since 1998.  He works on the day-to-day management of the Periodicals Collection (both current and historic) and is responsible for the Library's Exchange Programme. Graham also deals with reference enquiries, oversees a number of Library volunteers, handles inter-library loans from staff and students and is part of the team that assists internal and external visitors to the Library.

George Sherriffs, Acquisitions Librarian

George is responsible for sourcing and acquiring new materials (books and non-book materials) for the RBGE Library. He also leads on the cataloguing of the Library collections, including the retrospective cataloguing of the historical collections. George is also responsible for financial management, reader enquiries and emergency first aid.

Deborah Vaile, Library Assistant

Debi Vaile manages Library Circulation (i.e. user registration, loans, etc) and works on the Service Desk assisting with general enquiries. Debi is a member of the RBGE Environmental Management Group representing the Waste Group and is also an Environmental Area Champion for the Library.

Helen Bennett

A curator and historian by profession, since 2011,

Read full bio
Jane Corrie

My major research interest is in the intellectual

Read full bio
Dr Siôn Parkinson

Dr Siôn Parkinson is a visual artist, composer, performer, and writer about our sensory relationship with the more-than-human world.

Read full bio

Discover more

Back to Staff