UKRI Stories | Working behind the scenes at the Natural History Museum - 101 Jobs That Change The World (Ep 34) @UKResearchandInnovation | Uploaded June 2022 | Updated October 2024, 14 hours ago.
There's an email in your inbox asking for help with a potential new species of snake, and someone's sent you a frozen crocodile in the post. Just an ordinary day in the life of Patrick Campbell, Senior Reptile Curator at the Natural History Museum.
For every specimen you see at the Natural History Museum, there are thousands more behind the scenes. The museum is home to the largest collection of reptile specimens in the world - about a quarter of a million of them, dating back around 300 years. It's Patrick's job to take care of this collection, preserving, categorising and building it for future generations.
But his job isn't just about formaldehyde and moth balls. The specimens in his care are a valuable resource for scientists studying things like biodiversity, evolution, anatomy and extinct species, so he regularly collaborates with researchers all over the world. One of the more unusual projects he's working on right now involves a desert lizard called the Thorny Devil, which is covered in special spines that collect dew and channel it to the lizard's mouth. Patrick is helping architects study this clever system to see if we can design something similar for buildings in places with little rainfall.
Patrick has a long relationship with the museum, having been a frequent visitor as a child. His love of animals initially made him want to be a vet, but at age 19, he started work as a curator for the museum's fish collection. He did lots of fieldwork in the UK and the Thames, and gradually got involved in more overseas projects, such as studying how Indonesian reefs are recovering from the Boxing Day tsunami. Travelling is still one of his favourite aspects of his work - as is the unexpected avenues it takes him down.
Meet more amazing people with world-changing jobs in our #101Jobs That Change the World Playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkjB0VcEl5P9yPj9tljiU1PMhadR7iU1C
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#NHM #DreamJob #CoolJobs #ChangeTheWorld
There's an email in your inbox asking for help with a potential new species of snake, and someone's sent you a frozen crocodile in the post. Just an ordinary day in the life of Patrick Campbell, Senior Reptile Curator at the Natural History Museum.
For every specimen you see at the Natural History Museum, there are thousands more behind the scenes. The museum is home to the largest collection of reptile specimens in the world - about a quarter of a million of them, dating back around 300 years. It's Patrick's job to take care of this collection, preserving, categorising and building it for future generations.
But his job isn't just about formaldehyde and moth balls. The specimens in his care are a valuable resource for scientists studying things like biodiversity, evolution, anatomy and extinct species, so he regularly collaborates with researchers all over the world. One of the more unusual projects he's working on right now involves a desert lizard called the Thorny Devil, which is covered in special spines that collect dew and channel it to the lizard's mouth. Patrick is helping architects study this clever system to see if we can design something similar for buildings in places with little rainfall.
Patrick has a long relationship with the museum, having been a frequent visitor as a child. His love of animals initially made him want to be a vet, but at age 19, he started work as a curator for the museum's fish collection. He did lots of fieldwork in the UK and the Thames, and gradually got involved in more overseas projects, such as studying how Indonesian reefs are recovering from the Boxing Day tsunami. Travelling is still one of his favourite aspects of his work - as is the unexpected avenues it takes him down.
Meet more amazing people with world-changing jobs in our #101Jobs That Change the World Playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkjB0VcEl5P9yPj9tljiU1PMhadR7iU1C
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We are UK Research and Innovation, the body that allocates government funds for research. If you're a UK tax payer, your contributions help fund the work we showcase on our channel. And if you liked this video, follow us on these channels:
Medium: medium.com/@UKRI
Instagram: instagram.com/weareukri
Facebook: facebook.com/weareUKRI
YouTube: youtube.com/c/UKResearchandInnovation
Or sign up for our weekly newsletter public.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKRI/subscriber/new?topic_id=UKRI_newsletter
#NHM #DreamJob #CoolJobs #ChangeTheWorld
