One of the world’s foremost experts on the praying mantis has been appointed director of the University of Oxford Museum of Natural History.
Gavin J Svenson joins the institution from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History in Ohio, where he has been chief science officer since 2022, and curator of invertebrate zoology prior to that.
Svenson succeeds Oxford’s previous director Paul Smith, who retired in 2024 after 13 years in the role.
During his time at Cleveland, Svenson led the museum through a $150m transformation to redevelop the museum’s campus, collections facilities and displays. He also managed the museum’s research and conservation staff, its collection of more than 5 million specimens, and 12,500 acres of protected land.
As an entomologist, Svenson’s research on the praying mantis has revealed new evolutionary patterns among the insects, prompting changes in their traditional scientific classification. He has conducted fieldwork across the southern hemisphere, describing more than 30 new species and genera.
Advertisement
He has a PhD in Phylogenetics and Systematics from Brigham Young University, Utah, and a bachelor of science from Cornell University, New York. He completed his postdoctoral research at the New York State Museum in Albany.
Irene Tracey, vice-chancellor of the University of Oxford, said: “I am so pleased Dr Svenson will join us in Oxford to lead the Museum of Natural History which welcomed more than 834,000 people through its doors last year – its highest ever visitor figure.
“Gavin brings a wealth of experience in museum transformation, collections care, research and public programming, all of which will be hugely valuable as the museum continues in its mission to share understanding of the natural world with audiences across the globe.”
Svenson said of his appointment: “I’m deeply honoured to serve such an esteemed museum of natural history and to help shape its future.
“It is both a profound responsibility and an incredible opportunity to connect the science of our natural world with the community and to demonstrate its enduring relevance and importance in our daily lives. We humans are part of nature, and natural history is part of our story: a story that encompasses the past, defines the present, and helps us understand the future.”
Richard Ovenden, head of the University of Oxford’s Gardens, Libraries and Museums, said: ‘We are delighted to welcome Dr Svenson as the new director of the Museum of Natural History at the University of Oxford.
“Gavin has shown himself to be an inspiring, innovative and energetic leader in the world of natural history collections, and someone who understands the crucial link between museum collections, modern science, and the critical issues that face humanity, such as climate change and biodiversity.”
The University of Oxford Museum of Natural History was founded in 1860 and holds the university’s internationally significant collections of entomological, geological, palaeontological and zoological specimens.