Trustees
Our trustees are the people responsible for controlling the work, management and administration of the charity on behalf of its beneficiaries.
Dr Claire Barlow
CHAIR
Claire is a direct descendent of Charles Darwin. She read Natural Sciences at Cambridge University, and held a lectureship in the Engineering Department, researching and teaching materials and sustainability, and for many years leading the department’s undergraduate teaching.
Your Title Goes Here
Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
READ MORE
She is Fellow Emerita at Newnham College, Cambridge, where she acts as mentor (Director of Studies) to undergraduate and postgraduate students. Having responsibility for admissions and for helping students to manage the transition from school to university, Claire has served as Governor of a number of schools, including St Paul’s School and St Paul’s Girls School in London and currently Cambridge Waldorf School. She has always been heavily involved with outreach and public engagement activities, enjoying the challenge of communicating scientific concepts to diverse audiences. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and of the Institute of Materials.
Reverend Professor Michael Reiss
Your Title Goes Here
Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
READ MORE
He was the Director of Education at the Royal Society, President of the Society for Science and Religion, President of the Association for Science Education, and a member of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics. After a PhD and post-doc in evolutionary biology, he trained as a secondary teacher and taught in schools for five years before returning to higher education. He sits on the Department for Education’s Science Advisory Committee.
Karen Goldie-Morrison
A childhood passion for butterflies matured into a love of natural history, and wildlife has been the focus of her career. A degree in Zoology and a decade in wildlife publishing prepared her for running and co-owning one of the premier wildlife film companies, Oxford Scientific Films in the 1980s and 90s.
Your Title Goes Here
Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
READ MORE
She was Executive Director of the Charles Darwin Trust from 2002 to 2012 and in 2017 she became a Trustee and its Honorary Treasurer. She was Chair of Butterfly Conservation between 2019 and 2023 and in 2024 was appointed a Vice-President.
Professor James Costa
James is professor and executive director at the Highlands Biological Station of Western Carolina University, Highlands, North Carolina, USA (highlandsbiological.org). As a biologist his research focuses on insect ecology and social evolution, while as historian of science he has written extensively on Charles Darwin, Alfred Russel Wallace, and the history of evolutionary thinking.
Your Title Goes Here
Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
READ MORE
His most recent books include Radical by Nature: The Revolutionary Life of Alfred Russel Wallace (Princeton, 2023), Darwin and the Art of Botany: Observations on the Curious World of Plants (with Bobbi Angell; Timber, 2023), and The Descent of Man: An Annotated Edition of Darwin’s Classic Work (with Elizabeth Yale; forthcoming from Princeton, 2026). A long-time Research Associate in Entomology at Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology, James has held visiting scholar or research fellowships at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, the LuEsther T. Mertz Library/ Humanities Institute of the New York Botanical Garden, the University of Hamburg, and the University of Toulouse. His honors include the Alfred Russel Wallace Medal (2017), the Stephen Jay Gould Prize of the Society for the Study of Evolution (2023), and the PROSE Award for History of Science, Medicine, and Technology from the Association of American Publishers (2024).
Dr Emma Newall
Emma is a lecturer in science education at the UCL Institute of Education (IOE). Emma has worked with the Charles Darwin Trust since 2006, initially as a biology educator and more recently as a Trustee. She completed her doctoral studies in evolution education supported by the Trust in 2020.
Your Title Goes Here
Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
READ MORE
Her research examined the role of worldview in its most general sense in shaping attitudes to evolution and how its status as a potentially sensitive topic in school science can be better understood. This research has informed her own teaching and in particular her work with student science teachers. She is currently studying the impact of a Darwin Inspired Learning approach in Initial Teacher Education (ITE).
Dr Sarah Darwin
Sarah is a direct descendant of Charles Darwin and a distinguished botanist. She earned her PhD from University College London, specializing in the systematics and genetics of Galapagos tomatoes, and is a Fellow of the Linnean Society.
Your Title Goes Here
Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
READ MORE
Much of her career has been dedicated to the flora of the Galapagos Islands, where she serves as an ambassador for the Galapagos Conservation Trust. In addition to her research, Sarah is a prominent voice in public engagement and conservation. She gained international recognition for participating in the global “Beagle: In Darwin’s Wake” project, recreating Darwin’s historic voyage to bridge the gap between historical science and modern biodiversity. Now based in Berlin, she continues to advocate for the natural world through collaborative research and media projects, focusing on the intersection of botanical science and environmental preservation.
Dr Chiara Ceci
Chiara is a naturalist and science communicator with experience in higher education, private and not-for-profit scientific sectors. Her research focuses on both Charles Darwin’s work and his family life. She is a Fellow of the Linnean Society, a Member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and chartered PR practitioner.
Check the latest news and events from the world of the Charles Darwin Trust.
“
Whatever part man values most, that part will be found to present the greatest amount of difference.
CHARLES DARWIN
Be inspired.
Darwin-inspired.
Company Registration Number: 3694613 | Registered Charity Number: 1074914 | Registered Office: Knox Cropper, 65 Leadenhall Street 5th Floor, London, England, EC3A 2AD
Terms & Conditions ©The Charles Darwin Trust 2026. Website by open