Dr. Bennett is the Chief of Science and Harry and Diana Hind Dean of Research and Collections. She was the Academy's first ever Associate Curator of Microbiology, helping broaden the Academy’s research scope to include a dedicated focus on viruses and bacteria. Her specialty lies in infectious diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans.
Search for Academy curators, collections managers, and research staff working to answer some of the world's most pressing scientific questions.
Chief of Science and Hind Dean of Science & Research Collections, Patterson Scholar, Associate Curator of Microbiology
Research Associate
Biodiversity Informatics, Ichthyology
I am a zoologist by training, but since 1990 I have been working full-time in biodiversity informatics – the application of information technologies to biodiversity science. Academy scientists generate enormous amounts of information as they collect, describe, document, and compare organisms. That information comes in a variety of forms, including text, photographs, DNA sequences, taxonomic names, classifications, distributions maps, and ultimately publications.
McCosker Chair of Aquatic Biology, Assistant Curator
I’m interested in the ecology and evolution of tropical reef-building corals, from close to the surface to well into the twilight zone. As a molecular ecologist, I combine genomics and field ecology to understand how corals diversify and adapt to different environmental conditions. Much of my research has focused on studying genetic patterns “across the reef slope” (over depth), piecing together the evolutionary processes that have led to those patterns, and inferring how those patterns impact the interconnectivity of shallow and deep reef habitats.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr. Chandler is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Microbiology. His research focuses on the microbial communities that are associated with animals and in particular the bacteria and viruses of insects. Dr. Chandler obtained his B.S. in Genetics and Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and his Ph.D. in Evolution and Ecology from the University of California, Davis.
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Research Associate, Entomology
Island biogeography of spiders
My research interests are related with the study of the historical processes that create biodiversity, particularly in conditions of isolation. My main study group are spiders and other invertebrates present around the Pacific Ocean, with special attention to volcanic archipelagos and the Gondwanic landmasses. I combine field and museum work with phylogenetics, population genetics and genomics. Due to my research on understudied taxa and remote locations, I am also interested in biodiversity discovery: species inventories, species descriptions and natural history observations.
Archives and Digital Collections Assistant Librarian
Seth earned a Master of Library and Information Science degree at San Jose State University and previously worked in Archives and Special Collections at University of California San Francisco.
Curator of Botany, Emeritus
Botany, Systematics, Evolution
For the past 30 years the major emphasis of my research has been the study of New World Acanthaceae (shrimp plants and their relatives). Although known in temperate regions primarily for showy ornamentals, the Acanthaceae are the 11th largest family of flowering plants (with more than 4,000 species) and a prominent element of many tropical regions. Mexico and Central America comprise a major center of diversity for this family.
Curatorial Assistant, Botany, and Research Assistant, Geology
I came to the Academy as a volunteer in 2016 in the Geology Department. Now, I split my time working as a Research Assistant for Geology and a Curatorial Assistant in Botany. Some of my duties include collections care, data cleaning, digitization, loan processing, volunteer management, and assisting visiting researchers. I have a B.S. from UC Davis in Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology with a minor in Environmental Toxicology. Recently, I graduated from San Jose State University's Master of Library and Information Science program.