Research Staff - Herbarium
Darwin Region
David Albrecht
David is an arid zone specialist, having been based in Alice Springs since 1993. His interests include taxonomy, botanical survey, checklists, ecology and land management. He is currently working on the description of several new central Australian species from diverse taxonomic groups and is revising the Australian Lobeliaceae in collaboration with Neville Walsh from the Melbourne Herbarium. He is also developing an interactive guide to the flora of the MacDonnell Ranges bioregion (c. 1400 species) using the software LucID, and is involved in the periodic reassessment of the conservation status of the arid flora against IUCN criteria, for listing under TPWCA.
Ian Cowie
Ian has lived in the Top End of the Northern Territory since 1983 and has broad interests in taxonomy, botanical survey and ecology, with an extensive knowledge and field experience of the flora of the monsoonal parts of the Northern Territory and Timor Leste. At present, he is undertaking taxonomic projects describing new species of Helicteres (Malvaceae sens lat.), Typhonium (Araceae) and Aristida (Poaceae), revising the Australian endemic tropical genus Dicarpidium (Malvaceae sens lat.) as well as a review of Australian species of Tephrosia (Fabaceae). With other botanists from the Herbarium, Ian has authored two books on Northern Territory plants, Floodplain Flora: A flora of the coastal floodplains of the Northern Territory, Australia and Flora of the Darwin Region, Volume 2 with further volumes are in preparation. He also has a leading role in the periodic reassessment of the conservation status of the northern flora against IUCN criteria, for listing under TPWCA.
Dr Philip Short
Philip was based at the National Herbarium of Victoria for 16 years, was Australian Botanical Liaison Officer at Kew, England in 1991–92, and has worked at the Northern Territory Herbarium since 1996. He has published more than 40 scientific papers on the taxonomy and cytology of Australian plants – particularly those belonging to the daisy family – and contributed to various floras. Philip also has interests in botanical history and nomenclature and has contributed to numerous botanical publications.
Donna Lewis
Donna’s experience and interests span botanical and ecological surveys in the Northern Territory, particularly the Top End. The application of Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing technologies for vegetation community mapping and possible species modelling is an ongoing undertaking. Donna’s taxonomic interests are to describe several phrase name taxa in the Northern Territory; Thecanthes sp. Donydji, Uraria sp. Litchfield, Crosslandia sp. Wilton River, Glycine sp. Mt Sanford, Acacia sp. laterite and a number of Isotropis spp. The redevelopment and administration of key vegetation site and plant specimen web applications is a significant responsibility. Donna also oversees the major development of an electronic flora for the Northern Territory and coordinates the provision of plant specimen data to the Australian Virtual Herbarium and Atlas of Living Australia.
Benjamin Stuckey
Ben has BSc in Biological Science with a major in Botany and maintains a keen interest in botany and horticulture. Since joining the Herbarium in 2007 he has been involved in numerous flora surveys across the Top End and has a broad knowledge of the monsoonal flora. Ben is also responsible for Herbarium specimen maintenance of the Darwin collection.
Glenn Wightman – Ethnobiologist
Glenn Wightman has undertaken traditional biological knowledge conservation research in north Australia since 1982. He has also undertaken research and training in Indonesia, Malaysia, Fiji, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
He has worked full time with the senior custodians of Aboriginal knowledge since 1987, recording their plant and animal knowledge in a culturally sensitive and scientifically sound manner. He has undertaken research with over 30 Aboriginal languages and has been involved in the production of more than 20 books relating to traditional biological knowledge. A series of posters, identikits, self-guided walks and larger themed books have also been produced.
In 2003 he received a Slow Food Award for the conservation of biodiversity in Italy and presented an outline of his research in the BRIT Distinguished Lecturer Series in Texas in 2005.