Our team

Professor Samuel Brockington - Academic Lead

In addition to providing Academic Leadership to the University Herbarium, I am Head of the Evolution and Diversity Group in the Department of Plant Sciences and Curator of the Cambridge University Botanic Garden. My research is both comparative and integrative, combining systematics, morphology, development, molecular genetics, and physiology.

I teach on the first year course Evolution and Behaviour; give practical classes on plant diversity and morphology as part of the second year course Plant and Microbial Sciences; and lecture on phylogenetics and homology as part of the third year Part II Plant Sciences module Evolution and Ecosystem Dynamics. I regularly give public lectures on the history of botanic gardens, the global network of botanic gardens, and the current and ongoing activities in the Cambridge University Botanic Garden.

Department profile: https://www.plantsci.cam.ac.uk/directory/samuel-brockington

Juliet Anderson - Collections & Digitisation Assistant

As the Collections & Digitisation Assistant my role is to help facilitate research in the collection and to aid in its mobilisation via digitisation. Our current focus is on imaging many of our UK specimens, to help inform research into changes in local biodiversity. I also help manage our fantastic team of volunteers who are currently focussing on prepping many of our specimens for digitisation.

Mar Millan - Collections Coordinator

As Herbarium Coordinator, I manage and care for Cambridge University Botanic Garden’s 19,000-specimen herbarium (CGG), a collection that preserves the story of the Garden’s past and present plant life. Day to day, I prepare, process, and digitise specimens, keep records accurate in our database IrisBG, and make sure everything in the collection is stored and organised so it’s easy to find and use. As Coordinator I oversee specimen acquisition whether it comes from fieldwork, donations, or the living collection; manage loans to researchers; and monitor specimen condition.

I work closely with the Curation and Horticulture teams, supporting research and outreach. I enjoy helping researchers and visitors access the herbarium and taking part in tours and educational activities. I also manage volunteers, support compliance with plant-handling protocols, assist with training, and coordinate the annual Index Seminum seed-exchange process.