
11 March 2021
Head of Accelerated Taxonomy
Taxonomy, systematics, tree of life, desert plants, succulence, sustainable uses, people and plants
I am the lead scientist for Accelerated Taxonomy, one of Kew's five scientific priorities. We are pushing the frontiers of taxonomic research to accelerate the characterisation and identification of species in near real-time.
My own research programme is concerned with the diversity and value of desert plants in a changing world. We study global patterns in succulent plant diversity and the evolutionary processes underlying their extraordinary adaptations and ecological success, using the charismatic genus Aloe (Asphodelaceae) as a model system.
I’m interested in phylogenetics as a tool for identifying patterns in plant value and useful properties, and how these can be applied to decision-making around priority species in research and conservation. My research approach integrates the laboratory with field observations and curated collections of living plants in botanic gardens.
Fradera-Soler, M., Grace, O.M., Jørgensen, B. & Mravec, J. (2022)
Journal of Experimental Botany
Lu, M., Fradera-Soler, M., Forest, F., Barraclough, T.G & Grace, O.M. (2021)
American Journal of Botany 109: 272-290.
Woudstra, Y., Viruel, J., Fritzsche, M., Bleazard, T., Mate, R., Howard, C., Rønsted, N. & Grace, O.M. (2021)
Scientific Reports 11: 24347.
Grace, O.M., Pérez-Escobar, O.A., Lucas, E., Vorontsova, M., Lewis, G.P., Walker, B., Lohmann, L.J., Knapp, S., et al. (2021)
Trends in Plant Science 26: 433-441.
Malakasi, P., Bellot, S., Dee, R. & Grace, O.M. (2019)
Frontiers in Plant Science 10:1227.