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Twenty Second Annual Darwin College Lecture Series 2007

IDENTITY

Lecture 8   :   9 March

SPECIES IDENTITY: WHEN IT MATTERS

Peter Crane

University of Chicago

Biography   |   Abstract  |   Printable Version  

Biography

Sir Peter Crane is The John and Marion Sullivan University Professor at The University of Chicago and holds his appointment in the Department of the Geophysical Sciences. He is known internationally for his work on the diversity of plant life - its origin and fossil history, its current status, and its conservation and use. He received his BSc and PhD degrees in botany from the University of Reading, UK. He also served on the faculty of the University of Reading from 1978 to 1981. In 1981 he to Indiana University and he joined the Field Museum in Chicago in 1982. From 1992 to 1999 he served as Director of the Field Museum with overall responsibility for the Museum's scientific programmes, during this time he also established the Field Museum Office of Environmental Programs and the Center for Cultural Understanding and Change. From 1999 to 2006 Peter Crane was Director of The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in the UK, one of the largest, most prestigious and influential botanical gardens in the world. His tenure at Kew saw strengthening and expansion of the gardens' scientific, conservation and public programmes focused on the variety of plant life. In 2002 Kew was inscribed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. Peter Crane's directorship was also marked by major improvements to the infrastructure at Kew for the collections, for science, for the public and for staff. Professor Crane was elected to the Royal Society - the UK academy of sciences in 1998. He is a Foreign Associate of the US National Academy of Sciences, a Foreign Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, and a Member of the German Academy Leopoldina. He was knighted in the UK for services to horticulture and conservation in 2004. Peter Crane currently serves on the Board of WWF-UK. He is active in the support of a variety of conservation projects around the world, including the Millennium Seed Bank Project of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

The lectures are given at 5.30 p.m. in The Lady Mitchell Hall, Sidgwick Avenue, with an adjacent overflow theatre with live TV coverage. Each lecture is typically attended by 600 people so you must arrive early to ensure a place.