My major research interest is in the intellectual history of the 18^th century – particularly as it manifested in Scotland and within Scotland - Edinburgh.  The important role of the RBGE in this story is being steadily revealed as a result of the re-siting of the Botanic Cottage in the current garden (2016) and the ongoing archival research by a number of authors this move has attracted.

I am also interested in the interaction of health care, the teaching and practice of medical botany and the role of botanic gardens as multi-faceted sites of well-being, healing and learning.

My scholarly background is Arts based - initially with a BA in English and History (University of York) and more recently a PhD at the School of Critical Studies, University of Glasgow: William Cullen’s Exemplary Retirement: the Art of Ageing in Enlightenment Scotland.  My career between these two points has included years in voluntary sector management and 10 years as a clinical research nurse at the Western General Hospital (Edinburgh).  My contributions so far to research related to Botanic Cottage and the achievement of its creator Prof. John Hope are two research papers.  The first (2009) is Stories from the historical archives – about Botanic Cottage, the Leith Walk Garden and John Hope’s ‘other’ life as a physician. The second (2011) is Further research into Botanic Cottage : building methods, building materials and the historical context of the Cottage’s design.  These papers are unpublished but have been used in research by later authors.  They are available to read in the Library of RBGE.

I have been privileged to enjoy, primarily as a volunteer, access to different areas of activity within RBGE.  I was a Garden Guide for 23 years (1996-2019) and  I worked as a plant-mounter in the Herbarium (2003-2006) – later demonstrating the skills involved in doing this in the garden itself.  I am now a volunteer with the Exhibitions team and have helped look after and interpret the exhibitions in various parts of the garden for the last 3 years.  Increasingly displays feature material from RBGE’s vast collections and interpretation of this material by visiting artists.   Challenging questions are being asked about the nature and role of historic collections in the modern world - and the role of the archive in critical enquiry.