International Commission
on Zoological Nomenclature

I took on the role of Executive Secretary for ICZN in 2008 and have found it both challenging and rewarding, as this institution is at a critical transition point. The ICZN has historically provided foundations for good taxonomic practice in zoology by working as the main force in stabilizing nomenclature, yet it also holds responsibility for implementing modern methods in descriptive taxonomy. The role of the ICZN, along with the development of ZooBank, is increasingly important as cybertaxonomic tools are developed – stable, universal names are the pivotal link for information access on organisms. If the challenges for informatics retrieval, information input, and linkages with other major biodiversity informatics programmes are handled adeptly, this exciting programme will make a significant improvement in our ability to meet the taxonomic challenges of the biodiversity crisis.

My past experience includes a range of academic and research roles that provide a foundation for working with the ICZN. I am trained as a molluscan systematist and ecologist, with a focus on freshwater species radiations, both in neontological and palaeontological perspectives. I am experienced with analytical methods in molecular systematics, phylogenetic character analysis, morphometrics, experimental and quantitative ecology. My taxonomic speciality is primarily in malacology, but I have also worked on fish, crustaceans, sponges and bryozoans. For the five years I was the acting field director and assistant project director for a US-NSF research training programme on tropical lakes, in addition to being the biology mentor (lecturer) for the programme for a total of ten years. I have taught topics in evolution and ecology at the university level (both pre- and postgraduate) for many years and have considerable editorial experience. I am originally an American, but have been working in Europe for almost a decade, first in the Netherlands, and now in London, with additional research links in Africa and Russia. Details of my academic history and experience are available on my website (link below).