Undergraduate Intern - A global survey of plant fibres as sustainable materials

The increased urgency of sustainable use of materials has led to a revival of interest in natural fibres. Many hundreds of plant fibres were used around the world and are represented in Kew’s Economic Botany Collection. However, accurate knowledge on these is hard to find – even at the level of botanical name or plant part used. This creates a barrier to the use of these fibres today.

Plant fibres also make up many historic objects held in museums (including Kew’s). Curators and museum conservators also benefit from accurate botanical knowledge of fibres.

The project researcher will use publicly available sources of data including books and journal papers, plant use databases and Kew’s collections to carry out these activities: (1) assemble a world check list of fibre plants, including select data on uses (2) validate botanical names against Plants of the World Online (3) catalogue and digitise the Imperial Institute fibre collection recently donated to Kew; (4) investigate the history of selected fibre holdings in Kew’s Economic Botany Collection (5) analyse (at a pilot study level) the distribution of fibre properties in relation to plant anatomy and phylogenetic relationships (6) publish a co-authored research paper based on a world checklist of plant fibres and (7) share knowledge of Kew’s fibre collections through engagement with the public and other stakeholders, via routes including social media, hands-on events etc.

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Training and experience offered during this internship:

Prior knowledge of plant fibres, botanical names, and museum collections is not required. Training will be given in the following aspects:

• Finding and extracting data from print and digital sources

• Biological and cultural attributes of plant fibres

• Curation of museum collections

• Naming and evolutionary relationships of plants

• Use of R and other tools to analyse data

• Authorship of scientific papers

• Public presentation skills

• Social media and public engagement

Education and experience required (specific to this project):

Completed two years of undergraduate study in a relevant science-based discipline such as life sciences, design, or geography.

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBG Kew) is a leading plant science institute, UNESCO World Heritage Site, and major visitor attraction. Our mission is to understand and protect plants and fungi for the well-being of people and the future of all life on Earth.

We are working to end the unprecedented extinction crisis and to help create a world where nature is protected, valued by all and managed sustainably. We will achieve these goals by drawing on our leading scientific research, unrivalled collections of plants and fungi, global network of partners, inspirational gardens at Kew and Wakehurst, and our 260 years of history.

Join us on our journey as protectors of the world’s plants and fungi.

The salary will be £19,582 per annum (+ £725 book allowance).

Our fantastic benefits package includes opportunities for continuous learning, a generous annual leave entitlement, flexible working to help you maintain a healthy work-life balance, an Employee Assistance Programme and other wellbeing support such as cycle to work scheme and discounted gym membership. We also offer a competitive pension, an employee discount scheme and free entry into a wide range of national museums and galleries, as well as access to our own beautiful gardens at Kew and Wakehurst.

If you are interested in this position, please submit your application through the online portal, by clicking “Apply for this job”.

We are committed to equality of opportunity and welcome applications from all sections of the community. We guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post.

No agencies please.