On the morning of Thursday 14 November, Dr Sandy Knapp will give the following keynote address:

“Building knowledge and narratives through open networks” – Sharing data and stories is essential for furthering biodiversity knowledge. I will explore how networks of various sorts – from tight to loose – can assist this process, and how open data leading to open science is critical for future progress in both understanding and conserving the Earth’s diversity.

Sandra Knapp is botanist who is a specialist on the taxonomy and evolution of the nightshade family, Solanaceae, and she has spent much time in the field collecting plants, mostly in South America. She works at the Natural History Museum, London, where she arrived in 1992. She is the author of several popular books on the history of science and botanical exploration, including the award-winning Potted Histories (2004), and more than 200 peer-reviewed scientific papers. She is actively involved in promoting the role of taxonomy and the importance of science worldwide.

Sandy is a trustee of several conservation and scientific organisations, and in May 2018 took office as President of the Linnean Society of London. In 2009 she received the Peter Raven Outreach Award by the American Society of Plant Taxonomists for her work in public engagement with science and the UK National Biodiversity Network’s John Burnett Medal for her work in biodiversity conservation; she holds honorary professorships at University College London and Stockholm University. Her work in Solanaceae spans biodiversity from taxonomy to phylogenetics and evolution, and she is currently working on in-depth taxonomic treatments of members of the family in New Guinea and South America.

Dr Sandy Knapp
Dr Sandy Knapp

Read more about the other NBN Conference speakers.