Qualifications:
Master of Science degree in Botany
Bachelor’s degree (Hons) in Zoology
Bachelor’s degree in Ecology
Q: What inspired you to make this career choice?
A: Both of my parents studied Zoology and worked in the Natural Sciences. As a child we would spend a lot of time in the outdoors and this cultivated a love of nature in me. After studying botany, ecology, and zoology, I finally settled on plant taxonomy as my career choice. Plant taxonomy combines my love of nature and love of organization.
Q: Give a brief description of what your job entails.
A: As a plant taxonomist a large part of my job entails describing, classifying, and naming plants. This includes research, collecting and studying plants in the field, curating herbarium collections and identifying plants submitted to the Pretoria National Herbarium for identification. Other aspects include contributing to conservation status assessments and the e-Flora of South Africa project.
Q: How does it contribute to Collections Management?
A: My job contributes directly to collections management by ensuring that our herbarium specimens have the correct names and are filed in the correct places, as well as through the georeferencing of specimen localities. My job also contributes indirectly through research where I resolve problems in the delineation and naming of species. Without accurate species boundaries, descriptions and names, it would not be possible to store collections in any meaningful way. I also collect new specimens; often of rare species that are underrepresented in our collections.
Q: What is the most exciting aspect of your job?
A: I particularly enjoy discovering, describing, and documenting species that are new to science.
Q: What advice would you give to young people considering a career within Scientific Collections Management?
A: Try to get as much hands-on experience as you can, volunteer in different collections facilities or join citizen science initiatives such as the Custodians of Rare and Endangered Wildflowers (CREW) programme. Do what you love.
Q: What does Leadership mean to you?
A: To me leadership means responsibly empowering others to ensure a better future for all.