Gemma Bramley

Department

Accelerated Taxonomy

Job Title

Research Leader

INSTRUCTION LANGUAGES

PERSONAL BIO

WORK EXPERIENCE AND AWARDS

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

VacancIES

Brief Introduction of the Department

Taxonomy has been the backbone of RBG Kew’s scientific research throughout our history, and our collections and taxonomic experts are essential to the processes of describing and conserving biodiversity. Drawing on increased data availability and new tools and technologies, including phylogenomics and machine learning, we will push the frontiers of taxonomic research to accelerate the characterisation and identification of species in near real-time. We will also develop methods for speeding up the discovery of hidden diversity in natural history collections. In delivering the aims of this Priority, our focus will be on taxonomic groups and regions where progress is most needed, and our outputs will include detailed taxonomic publications, online tools, and other resources tailored to the specific needs of our stakeholders.

Department Staff Number

More than 10 people

Internship Job Description

Some tropical genera are so taxonomically complex that they are frequently left out of other studies or processes such as species risk assessment, just because the species are so hard to tell apart and manage. Syzygium (Myrtaceae) and Cyrtandra (Gesneriaceae) areexamples of this. The intern of this internship will assist in survey of morphological traits of Syzygium and Cyrtandra species from either herbarium specimens or material collected and preserved in alcohol. The intern will supplement this dataset within formation from the literature, where necessary and possible. Results will be recorded as images or into a spreadsheet. The intern will spend some time curating herbarium and/or alcohol collected specimens. Light microscopy will be used to examine, measure and record floral and fruiting traits to contribute to a larger dataset resulting from similar surveys. Results will be considered considering recently published phylogenetic hypotheses of the genera and will ultimately support ongoing evolutionary or systematic projects including new species discovery.The student will experience working in and curating, the herbarium at Kew, and will be involved in published outputs – to be decided depending on the interest of the student.

Preferred Intern Education Level

Undergraduate students (third year and above)
Master students

Preferred Intern Skill Sets or Qualities

An interest in biodiversity, its sustainable use and conservation
Experience of practical lab-based studies for data evaluation
A working knowledge of word processing, spreadsheets and/or database software
Experience of collecting and analysing data
A supportive and effective team player and helpful to colleagues
Has effective communication skills, both written and verbal
Be able to prioritise own workload and manage own time effectively
Experience of report writing (desirable)

Internship Period

From June 10 to September 1, 2024 (adjustable at the discretion of the organisation)

Others

Salaries (stipends) will not be provided.
Benefits will be provided.
The position is located in London
The position is and must be subsidized by 「教育部學海築夢」 scholarship, so non-Taiwanese students are not eligible to apply.