Katherine Thomson is based at Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan, she holds a Bachelor of Science (Biological Sciences), a Bachelor of Science (Honours), a Bachelor of Arts (History), and a Diploma of Conservation and Land Management, providing her with a multidisciplinary foundation for her work in environmental conservation and management.
Katherine is involved in all projects undertaken by the Seedbank and Conservation Collections team, focusing on Australian native seed collection, conservation, and storage.
Her work day varies, but can include office work on her laptop – updating databases with her field notes or planning the next field trip – or embarking on a six kilometre hike to the top of Glenugie Peak to find a threatened species. Katherine spends significant time in the laboratory, cleaning seed collections and conducting germination tests.
Katherine enjoys examining the intricate details of seeds under a microscope and revels in the variety of tasks, plants, seeds, and locations she gets to experience in the course of her work.
She recently gained a place in and completed the Seed Conservation Techniques Course 2023 (online) run by the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in the United Kingdom.
Currently, Katherine's favourite plant genus is Grevillea – she loves that people are able to enjoy its diverse forms and many colours out in the wild in the local bushland. Despite believing she has not inherited the gardening skills of her mother and Nan, who are both passionate gardeners, nonetheless Katherine's love for plants was sparked by these two influential women, and led her to pursue a career in the industry.
