Professor Alexandre Antonelli

As Director of Science, I lead the work of around 500 scientists working in more than 100 countries and I am responsible for the world’s largest collections of plants and fungi. I am also an active researcher, and my work focuses on the diversity, distribution, evolution and conservation of species and developing methods to speed up scientific discovery. 

Reporting to the Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, I provide leadership and management of the Science Directorate. My overall aim is to strengthen and further develop Kew as a global centre of excellence in plant and fungal knowledge and to promote evidence-based solutions to major challenges.

My main tasks are to:

1. Drive excellence in Kew’s science, attract globally leading scientists, promote career development among staff, and steer performance and operational delivery of science programmes and projects.
2. Be an advocate and spokesperson for Kew’s science internally and externally, including promoting Kew’s research portfolio and partnerships in the scientific and policy communities nationally and internationally.
3. Provide effective leadership as a member of the Executive Board.
4. Increase fundraising, including the generation of income for science consultancy and Kew’s Intellectual Property.
5. Lead and further develop a research programme including current and future students and early career researchers reporting directly to me.

Awards and distinctions

• Elected Foreign Fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
• Awarded the 2022 Senckenberg Prize for Nature Research
• Featured on Web of Science/Clarivate ‘Highly Cited Researchers’ list every year since 2020
• Elected member of the Royal Society of Arts and Sciences in Gothenburg, 2016-
• Elected member of the Young Academy of Sweden, 2016-19
• Future Research Leader, 2016
• The Faculty of Science Research Award, 2015
• Wallenberg Academy Fellow, 2014
• Elected member of the Young Academy of Europe, 2013-

Qualifications

• PhD Systematics and Biodiversity, University of Gothenburg, 2008
• MSc Biology, University of Gothenburg, 2003
• Biology, University of Campinas, 1996

Professorships 

• Visiting Professor, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2023-2028
• Visiting Professor, University of Oxford, 2020-
• Full Professor in Systematics and Biodiversity. University of Gothenburg, 2015-

Boards and advisory groups

• WWF International Board of Trustees (2024-) 
• International Expert Advisory Panel to IUCN (2024–)
• Conservation Advisory Panel, World Land Trust (2024–)
• International Advisory Panel on Biodiversity Credits (2023-) 
• CBD Informal Advisory Group on Technical and Scientific Cooperation (2023-)

Previous positions

• Founder and Director, Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, 2017-19
• Scientific Curator, Gothenburg Botanical Garden, 2010-19
• Science Advisor, Universeum Science Centre, 2016-18
• Cisneros Visiting Scholar, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 2018
• Associate Professor and Senior Lecturer, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, 2014-15
• Researcher, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, 2012-14
• Associate staff member, Panama Canal Project, 2011-16
• Postdoctoral fellow, Institute of Systematic Botany, University of Zurich, 2009-10

Journal editorial roles

• Editor, Global Change Biology (2024–) 
• Associate editor, Systematic Biology, 2015-
• Associate editor, Journal of Biogeography, 2015-2019
• Associate editor, Journal of Systematics and Evolution, 2014-2020
• Associate editor, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society (2011–2016) 
• Associate editor, PhytoTaxa (2011–2016) 

A full CV is available on the Antonelli Lab website.