Managing the Lepidoptera and Hymenoptera collections. Responsible for the care and maintenance of the collection, receiving visitors, coordinating the work of volunteers and honorary associates, and processing loans and enquiries.
Providing taxonomic expertise on the beetle family Carabidae (ground beetles) and teaches identification on the course ‘Insect Taxonomy and Field Sampling Skills’. With the help of volunteers, he continues an ongoing project to sort and identify the Museum's large ground beetle collection.
Designing displays and developing scientific themes behind exhibitions, recently including a very successful collaboration with the photographer Levon Biss on the ‘Microsculpture’ project.
CV
While studying for a degree in Plant Sciences at Imperial College London, James took part in an expedition to the Solomon Islands to collect butterflies, which ignited a passion for entomology. After spending several years working in the Molecular Systematics Laboratory at the Natural History Museum, London, James developed his interests in entomology and in particular museum collections. James joined the Oxford University Museum of Natural History in 2002 as a collections assistant, and in 2013 he was awarded a doctorate for research on the evolution of burrowing ground beetles (Scaritinae).
Featured projects
Scientific Advisor,Microsculpture exhibition.Insect portraits by Levon Biss from the Museum's collections. May 2016 to January 2017.
