Officers & Council of the
Systematics Association

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Officers

President
Professor R. Bateman Jodrell Laboratory Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Richmond Surrey TW9 3DS	Richard's research interests are integrating morphological (including palaeobotanical) and molecular data to study major transitions in land-plant evolution at all spatial scales. His favourite study groups are living orchids and fossil clubmosses and gymnosperms, and his pet evolutionary hypothesis is the potential for instant, radical shifts in phenotype (i.e. saltation). He is currently Vice-President of both the Linnean Society and the Botanical Society of the British Isles, President of the UK Hardy Orchid Society, and part-time Head of Policy at the Biosciences Federation. He also holds a Visiting Professorship at Reading University.
President Elect
Dr J. Brodie Dept. of Botany The Natural History Museum Cromwell Rd London SW7 5BD	This Council member has not yet supplied a biography.
Secretary
[vacant]	This Council member has not yet supplied a biography.
Meetings Secretary from 8 July 2009
Dr J. Cotton School of Biological Sciences Queen Mary College University of London Mile End Road London E1 4NS	James is an RCUK fellow in bioinformatics. His research interests are in phylogenetics and molecular evolution, and particularly in the interface of the two: how to use phylogenetic methods to understand genomes and their evolution, and what genomic data teaches us about how we should build phylogenetic trees using molecular data. These topics are central to making sense of the large amounts of data coming from genome sequencing projects, by placing this information in its evolutionary context. Recent examples include using molecular clocks and diversification models to study the process of gene duplication, and using and developing novel supertree methods to study the origin of eukaryotic genomes, as well as studies on particular taxa or particular molecules in collaboration with experts on those particular systems.
Grants & Awards Secretary
Dr. T.A. Richards School of Biosciences University of Exeter Stocker Road Exeter EX4 4QD	This Council member has not yet supplied a biography.
Membership Secretary
Dr J.Bennett St Pauls School Lonsdale Road London SW13 9JT	Jon is currently a member of the biology department at St. Paul's School, London (www.stpaulsschool.org.uk). Before moving into teaching he worked as a post-doc on various research projects including a worldwide monograph of the large genus Solanum (www.nhm.ac.uk/solanaceaesource) at the Natural History Museum, London and an investigation of the evolution of photoreceptors in the parasitic plant family Orobanchaceae in the lab of Dr Sarah Mathews, Harvard University. His interest in the systematics of the Lamiales began during his PhD studies on the taxonomy of Strobilanthes (Acanthaceae) in Oxford. Jon still retains an interest in the taxonomy of Acanthaceae and is also the book review editor for the Linnean Society.
Treasurer
Dr P. Olson Dept. of Zoology The Natural History Museum Cromwell Rd London SW7 5BD	Pete's research interests involve the evolution of the parasitic flatworms, and in particular the evolution of segmentation in the tapeworms. His approaches include descriptive and pattern-based studies employing morphological and molecular systematics and phylogenomics, as well as process-based studies including Hox gene expression and trans-splicing mechanisms of gene translation. He plays an active role at the NHM in helping to define best practices relating to collections intended to archive genetic biodiversity.
Editor in Chief
Dr. A. Warren Department of Zoology The Natural History Museum Cromwell Road London SW7 5BD	Alan's research interests are the morphology, taxonomy and ecology of ciliated protozoa. He is currently focusing on marine ciliates in northern China, their diversity and use as bioindicators of water quality, and on the development of an interactive guide to the identification of sewage ciliates.

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Council members retiring in 2009

Dr P. Rudall Jodrell Laboratory Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Richmond Surrey TW9 3DS	Paula uses empirical data from comparative morphology (including ontogeny, anatomy, embryology and pollen morphology) in a phylogenetic and developmental-genetic context, in particular to address hypotheses on the evolution of plant form and systematics of monocotyledons.
Newsletter Editor
Dr M. Ruta Dept. of Earth Sciences University of Bristol Wills Memorial Building Queen's Rd Bristol BS8 1RJ	Marcello's research interest cover primitive limbed vertebrates (tetrapods), especially Devonian to Permian groups, and Palaeozoic echinoderms (with emphasis on the chordate-like and problematic stylophorans). Major research themes include inter-relationships of major groups of Palaeozoic tetrapods, the assembly of characters along the stem-groups of amphibians and amniotes, the use of morphometrics to evaluate disparity, rates of character change, palaeobiogeography and the study of variance in selected morphofunctional systems (e.g. appendicular skeleton, lower jaw). He is currently a postdoctoral researcher involved in phylogenetic aspects of the Permo-Triassic mass extinction.
Dr R. Scotland Dept. of Plant Sciences Oxford University South Parks Rd Oxford OX1 3RB	This Council member has not yet supplied a biography.
Dr A. Vogler Imperial College University of London Prince Consort Rd London SW7 2AZ	Alfried is Professor of Molecular Systematics at Imperial College London and has a joint appointment with the Natural History Museum. His research interests are the molecular phylogenetics and evolutionary diversity of insects, in particular beetles (Coleoptera). He is developing new methods in DNA taxonomy, large-scale phylogenetics and phylogenomics of insects. He is co-director of two Masters courses at Imperial College/NHM (MRes Biosystematics and MSc Taxonomy and Biodiversity).
Dr D.M. Williams Dept. of Botany The Natural History Museum Cromwell Rd London SW7 5BD	This Council member has not yet supplied a biography.
Dr. L. Rüber Dept. of Zoology The Natural History Museum Cromwell Rd London SW7 5BD	Lukas' research is motivated by a keen interest in the astonishing diversity of ray-fined fishes and the patterns of diversity and the evolutionary processes generating it. He is particularly interested in the application of genetic and geometric morphometric data to study the evolution of ecological and phenotypic diversity within species rich lineages. Additional research interests include: biogeography, comparative methods applied to life-history evolution, ancestral character state reconstruction, and relaxed molecular clock methods. His current research focuses on Southeast Asian freshwater fish diversity, marine adaptive radiations, and speciation in Lake Tanganyika cichlids.

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Council members retiring in 2010

Webmaster
Mr R.G. Wilson Science & Learning Division Royal Horticultural Society Garden Wisley Woking Surrey GU23 6QB	After gaining his first degree in Botany from the University of Reading, Rupert remained in the Herbarium of the School of Plant Sciences for 13 years, where he developed his database skills, putting the Herbarium online. In 2001, he moved to the Royal Horticultural Society Garden at Wisley, where he took over running the RHS Horticultural Database, expanding his role in 2005 to cover management of all horticultural data within the Science and Learning division of the RHS. Rupert maintains a keen interest in evolving technologies and their possible applications in botany and horticulture.
Dr D. Gower Dept. of Zoology The Natural History Museum Cromwell Rd London SW7 5BD	This Council member has not yet supplied a biography.
Dr S. Mayo Royal Botanic Gardens kew, Richmond Surrey TW9 3AE	This Council member has not yet supplied a biography.

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Council members retiring in 2011

Dr D.Bass Dept.of Zoology The Natural History Museum Cromwell Rd London SW7 5BD	This Council member has not yet supplied a biography.
Professor S.E.Evans Cell & Developmental Biology University College University of London Gower St London WC1E 6BT	This Council member has not yet supplied a biography.
Dr M van der Giezen School of Biosciences Geoffrey Pope Building University of Exeter Stocker Rd Exeter EX4 4QD	Mark's primary research interest is the evolution of early microbial eukaryotes and their mitochondria. The origin of eukaryotes appears closely linked to that of the mitochondrion (or its anaerobic sister, the hydrogenosome), and by studying the diversity of mitochondria in various microbial eukaryotes he hopes to shed light on some key early events in eukaryote evolution.
Dr P.Wilkie Tropical Forest Botanist Royal Botanic Garden 20A Inverleith Row Edinburgh EH3 5LR	Peter's main research interest is the tropical trees of South East Asia. He is particularly interested in the families Sapotaceae and Malvaceae (subfamily Sterculioideae) and is currently focused on producing monographs of species rich genera in the Sapotaceae and on producing regional floras in Malaysia. A key aspect of his research is the production of molecular data to provide robust phylogenies of Sapotaceae to aid generic delimitation and support monographic research. Peter is currently developing the Sapotaceae Resource Centre which provides access to important data for monographic studies. This will help connect Sapotaceae researchers from around the world and provide a valuable research tool for monographers from countries that are species rich but resource poor.

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Last updated: 7 August 2009
Webmaster: Rupert Wilson (click here to give feedback)