Tree of Life
We lead Kew's research to expand and populate the tree of life for plants and fungi.
Team lead: Dr William Baker
The evolutionary tree of life underpins the biological sciences.
It provides the fundamental roadmap for exploring and predicting patterns of diversity, understanding the drivers behind this diversity and predicting future trends.
Building the tree of life for plants and fungi remains a long-term research priority for Kew.
Our team leads Kew’s Tree of Life Initiative which aims to:
- Complete the tree of life for plants and fungi.
- Apply the tree of life to research on taxonomy, evolutionary biology, trait discovery and ecosystem stewardship.
- Deliver a dynamic, open tree of life digital platform, providing the most up-to-date view of the tree of life for plants and fungi.
Team members
Plant Tree of Life
Senior Research Leaders
Dr William Baker
Dr Félix Forest
Dr Ilia Leitch
Deputy Director of Science
Dr Paul Kersey
Future Leader Fellow
Dr Alexandre Zuntini
Post-doctoral Researcher
Dr Tom Carruthers
Data Production Manager
Dr Olivier Maurin
Bioinformaticians
Dr Paul Bailey
Dr Kevin Leempoel
Lab Technician
Robyn Cowan
Scientific Software and Advanced Computing Team Leader
Eduardo Toledo
Lead Science App Developers
Berta Gallego Paramo
Lead Developer
Malcolm Stone
Honorary Research Associate
Dr Wolf Eiserhardt
Fungal Tree of Life
Senior Research Leader
Dr Ester Gaya
Future Leader Fellow
Dr Alexandra Dallaire
Research Assistants
Dr Rosie Woods
Kieran Woof
Outreach Officer
Rich Wright
Darwin Tree of Life Project Manager
Dr Brian Douglas
Projects
The Tree of Life Initiative
Expanding and populating the tree of life for plants and fungi.
Completing the Plant Tree of Life
Discovering and disseminating the evolutionary history of all plant genera.
Discovering the Fungal Tree of Life
Uncovering the evolutionary history of fungi.