Executive Team

Executive Team

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Executive Team comprises the Regius Keeper and five Directors.

Dr Alex Davey

Dr Alex Davey

My role encompasses strategically planning, leading and overseeing RBGE’s research to combat the biodiversity and climate crises in Scotland and globally, growing grant income, enhancing equity, inclusion and access, and working with external…

Dr Elspeth Haston, Deputy Herbarium Curator

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…

Dr Stephan Helfer

Dr Stephan Helfer

I do research on parasitic microfungi, their biodiversity, taxonomy and distribution.  I am interested in fungus-plant interactions and their effect on natural communities. I mainly use microscopic techniques for identification and basic…

Prof Christopher Walker

Prof Christopher Walker

I worked for Forestry Commission in various roles, ending up in the Physiology Branch of the Northern Research Station, Roslin, working with mycorrhiza and tree roots. I took early retirement in 1996 to allow more time to follow my interest in the…

Philip Thomas

Philip Thomas

I joined the International Conifer Conservation Programme in 1995. Since then, I have studied conifers in the field in many temperate and subtropical parts of the world including China, mainland SE Asia, New Caledonia and Chile. I am also the…

Martin Gardner

Martin Gardner

From 1991 to 2021 I worked at the at RBG Edinburgh as co-ordinator of the International Conifer Conservation Programme on many aspects of conifer conservation. Part of my work has been to establish one of the world's most comprehensive networks for…

Dr Mark Hughes

Dr Mark Hughes

Email: Mark HughesPhone: +44 (0)131 248 2893 Google Scholar profile. Southeast Asia is home to 15% of the worlds tropical forests, and has four globally important biodiversity hotspots. This unique mega-diversity is at the forefront of the…

Dr Mark Watson

Dr Mark Watson

I have over 30 years’ experience in floristics, plant systematics, botanical nomenclature and biodiversity informatics. My work is centred on the Sino-Himalayan region, especially Nepal, where I collaborate with international and in-country…

Research groups

Research Glasshouses details