Executive Committee
Dr. Scott E. Miller, Chair
Smithsonian InstitutionOffice of the Under Secretary for Science
1000 Jefferson Drive SW, Suite 230
MRC 009, PO Box 37012
Washington, D.C. 20013‐7012 United States
Scott E. Miller is Chair of the Executive Committee of the Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBOL), and has an active research program applying DNA barcodes to the systematics and ecology of moths. He is Senior Program Officer in the Office of the Under Secretary for Science of the Smithsonian Institution, and Curator of Entomology at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
He has a Ph.D. from Harvard University and has published over 145 research publications in systematics, biogeography, and ecology. At the Smithsonian he has previously served as Associate Director for Science at the National Zoological Park, and Chairman of the Departments of Entomology and Systematic Biology in National Museum of Natural History. Before coming to the Smithsonian, he led the Natural Science Department and Hawaii Biological Survey at Bishop Museum (Hawaii) and the Biodiversity and Conservation Programme at International Centre of Insect Ecology and Physiology (Kenya).
He is committed to applying biodiversity information from biodiversity collections and systematics research to conservation and sustainable development, has participated in major reviews of biodiversity related to conservation planning, and catalyzed an Integrated Conservation Development Project in Kenya. He co‐edited the books "Papua New Guinea Biological Diversity Country Study," "The origin and evolution of Pacific island biotas, New Guinea to Eastern Polynesia: Patterns and processes" and "Arthropods of tropical forests: Spatio‐temporal dynamics and resource use in the canopy."
Dr. David E. Schindel, Executive Secretary
Consortium for the Barcode of LifeNational Museum of Natural History
PO Box 37012, MRC 105
10th and Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20560 United States
Dr. David Schindel is the Executive Secretary of the Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBOL), an international project devoted to developing a global system for identifying species using short genetic sequences. A database of genetic sequences tied to preserved specimens, whose identities have been validated by taxonomists, would allow non‐specialists to identify species and solve problems in fields related to conservation, public health and agriculture. The Consortium includes natural history museums, herbaria, zoos, repositories of frozen tissues and type cultures, and genetic research centers that have agreed to develop the barcoding technique and to build a global database of shared data. Dr. Schindel directs the Consortium’s secretariat, which is hosted by the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of Natural History and supported by a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Prior to joining CBOL, Dr. Schindel served as Head of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Europe Office from 1998 to 2004, located in the US Embassy in Paris. In this role, Dr. Schindel was NSF’s representative to Western, Central, and Eastern Europe as well as to the multinational organizations headquartered there.
Dr. Schindel is an invertebrate paleontologist whose research explored evolutionary theory, computer‐based analysis of evolutionary change, and the role of the fossil record in shaping evolutionary theory. He received a B.S. in Geology from the University of Michigan (1973) and went on to study marine geology briefly at the University of Southern California. From 1974 to 1977 he was a doctoral student at Harvard University and an advisee of Dr. Stephen J. Gould. Dr. Schindel was a Pre‐Doctoral Fellow in Systematic and Evolutionary Biology at the Smithsonian from 1977‐1978 and was awarded a Ph.D. in Geological Sciences from Harvard in 1979. Dr. Schindel joined the Yale University faculty in 1978 in the Department of Geology & Geophysics. He served as an Assistant and Associate Professor and the Curator of Invertebrate Fossils in the Yale Peabody Museum from 1978 to 1986.
In 1986, Dr. Schindel joined the NSF as Associate Program Director in the Systematic Biology Program. In 1989 he was appointed Program Director of the Biological Research Resources Program in charge of support for systematic collections in natural history museums. In September of 1991 he began a two‐year assignment as Program Director in NSF's Teacher Enhancement Program, Directorate for Education and Human Resources, where he worked with large school districts in the design of instructional frameworks and programs for teacher training in elementary science. From May 1993 to
March 1998, Dr. Schindel served as Senior Science Advisor in the Office of Science & Technology Infrastructure, which oversees the Science & Technology Centers, NSF's support for facilities modernization, and other interdisciplinary activities. Since March 1998, he has been the Executive Associate in the NSF Director’s Office of Integrative Activities, with broad‐ranging responsibilities for organizational development and program development.
During 1997, David Schindel was a Brookings Institution LEGIS Fellow in the office of Senator Jeff Bingaman (D‐NM). During this one‐year fellowship, Dr. Schindel worked on educational technology, higher education, and science and technology for the Senator. During that period, Senator Bingaman introduced S.839, the Technology for Teachers Act, and secured a $30 million appropriation teacher training in technology, awarded through a competitive program in the U.S. Department of Education.
Dr. Pedro Crous
CBS Fungal Biodiversity CentreUppsalalaan 8
3584 CT Utrecht
Netherlands
Dr. Pedro Crous was born in South Africa where he received his training at the University of Stellenbosch (B.Sc. in forestry, MSc in Plant Pathology), and Orange Free State (PhD in Plant Pathology).
In 1991 he was appointed as lecturer at the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Stellenbosch, where he was promoted to full professor in 1995, and head of department in 1999. He has published widely on the taxonomy of plant pathogenic fungi (in excess of 350 papers, 15 books and more than 400 presentations), and has been advisor or co‐advisor of 26 M.Sc. and 20 Ph.D. students.
During his relatively short career he has received numerous awards, namely the President’s award from the SA Foundation of Research Development, a Fulbright Fellowship, the Alexopolous Award from the Mycological Society of America, the Award for outstanding research from the Rector of Stellenbosch University, the Havenga Award for Biological Sciences from the SA Academy for Arts and Science, the Hendrik Persoon Gold Medal from the Southern African Society for Plant Pathology, and an A‐rating from the National Research Foundation in South Africa. Furthermore, he is presently Director of the CBS Fungal Biodiversity Centre, an institute of the Royal Academy for Arts and Sciences in the Netherlands. He is also appointed as extraordinary professor in plant pathology at the Universities of Wageningen (NL), Stellenbosch and Pretoria (SA), and the Chinese Academy of Forestry.
Dr. Crous is currently heading up the work package for fungal barcoding in the IBOL project, and coordinating fungal barcoding in the Dutch Plant Health Project, and the Quarantine Barcode of Life Project (FP7), and coordinates ECBOL within the EDIT (FP6) programme.
Dr. Ione Egler
Esplanada dos MinistériosBloco E 20 andar, Sala 215
Cep 70.
Brasília, DF 067‐900
Brazil
Dr. Ione Egler is currently the Senior Adviser at the Executive Secretariat at the Ministry of Science and Technology. She has over twenty five years of experience in formulation, implementation and evaluation of intersectoral policies, programs and projects, with special emphasis on environmental and science and technology sectors.
Dr. Beatrice N. Khayota
Centre for BiodiversityNational Museums of Kenya
P.O Box 40658
00100‐Nairobi
Kenya
Dr. Beatrice Khayota is a Principal Research Scientist at the National Museums of Kenya. She holds a Ph.D. in Botany and an MSc. in Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). As a research Scientist, she is responsible for developing proposals and obtaining funding for research, equipment and training.
She is currently the Head of Centre for Biodiversity Department, which is a National focal point for biodiversity research and collections. Her key roles focus on the initiation and coordination of multidisciplinary biodiversity projects and programmes. She is also the focal person for various Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) that Kenya is a signatory to. She is a member and representative of various Institutional, National, and Regional technical Committees, and often representes the country at respective meetings. She is now a regional Representative of three global biodiversity initiatives and chair of one.
She has published in the field of botany (Orchidaceae), biodiversity conservation and management and has received over seven awards/scholarships from various sources. She has held other senior administrative positions, including, Head of the East African Herbarium. Her research focus is on orchid ecology, conservation and non‐Detriment Findings for species threatened by international trade.
Dr. Kwang‐Tsao Shao
RCBASAcademia Sinica Sinica
Nankang Taipei 115
Taiwan
Dr. Shao is a Research Fellow and just one step down from Acting Director, Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica. He was the former Director of the Institute of Zoology, Academia Sinica and the Director of Institute of Marine Biology, National Taiwan Ocean University as well as the Chairman of Icthyological Society/ China Biological Society/ Cetacean Society of Taiwan. He currently serves as the Executive Secretary of IUBS/DIVERSTAS/GBIF, National Committee of R.O.C.
He received his Ph.D. from Department of Ecology and Evolution, SUNY at Stony Brook in 1983 and is interested in fish taxonomy, ecology, evolution and database works. He was the coordinator of first marine LTER in Kenting, LOICZ project at Chi‐Ku lagoon, co‐Director of National Digital Archive Program and established the national portal for GBIF – TaiBIF and TaiBNET; Taiwan Fish Database and link with global FishBase etc.
He has published more than 130 journal review articles and more than 20 books and has received many research awards in Taiwan. He has organized many international and domestic symposia or workshops, including the 7th Indo‐Pacific Fish Conference and the 2nd International Barcode Conference. Currently he is devoting himself in the integrating biodiversity databases, promoting sustainable fisheries, marine protected areas or marine conservations in Taiwan.
Dr. Jorge Soberón
University of KansasDivision of Ornithology
1345 Jayhawk Boulevard
Dyche Hall
Lawrence, KS 66045‐7562
United States
Dr. Jorge Soberón obtained B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees from the National University of Mexico and a Ph.D. from Imperial College, University of London, in 1982. From 1982 to 2005 he was a Researcher at the Institute of Ecology, National University of Mexico. He is now a Professor at the University of Kansas.
He has published more than 80 scientific papers, chapters, books and science popularization articles. From June 1992 to April 2005 he was seconded by the National University to serve as the Executive Secretary of the National Commission on Biodiversity of Mexico (CONABIO). He attended most of the Conferences of the Parties of the Convention on Biodiversity, often as Head of Mexican Delegation. He helped to develop the concept of the Global Biodiversity Information facility (GBIF) and served as Vice Chair of its Scientific Committee (200‐2007). He has served as board member of the All Species Foundation, NatureServe, Pronatura, the J.R.S. Biodiversity Foundation, the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel of the Global Environment Fund, the Scientific Advisory Council of the World Conservation Monitoring Centre, the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology, the Advisory Board of the Network of the National Ecological Observatory Network, the Mexican DIVERSITAS National Committee (200‐2005) and the United States DIVERSITAS National Committee (2007‐2010).