Ashleigh Whiffin is an

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

in the UK. She is a

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

at the

National Museum of Scotland The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, Scotland, was formed in 2006 with the merger of the new Museum of Scotland, with collections relating to Scottish antiquities, culture and history, and the adjacent Royal Scottish Museum (opened in ...

and a specialist in carrion beetles (Silphidae).

Education and career

Whiffin studied BSc (Hons) in

forensic science Forensic science, also known as criminalistics, is the application of science to criminal and civil laws, mainly—on the criminal side—during criminal investigation, as governed by the legal standards of admissible evidence and criminal ...

at the

University of Derby , mottoeng = Experience is the best teacher , established = 1851 – Teacher Training College1992 – gained university status , type = Public , chancellor = William Cavendish, Ear ...

, during which she specialised in

forensic entomology Forensic entomology is the scientific study of the colonization of a dead body by arthropods. This includes the study of insect types commonly associated with cadavers, their respective life cycles, their ecological presences in a given environme ...

. She moved on to do MSc Entomology at

Harper Adams University Harper Adams University, founded in 1901 as Harper Adams College, is a public university located close to the village of Edgmond, near Newport, in Shropshire, England. Established in 1901, the college is a specialist provider of higher educat ...

, and then started as a research technician at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

working on burying beetles in Jacob Moorad's lab. In 2014 she joined

National Museums Scotland National Museums Scotland (NMS; gd, Taighean-tasgaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba) is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government. It runs the national museums of Scotland. NMS is one of the country's National Collections, ...

(NMS) as a Collections Assistant, she progressed to Curatorial Assistant and as of 2021 is Assistant Curator of Entomology.

Research

Whiffin has carried out forensic entomology research, as well as work on the insects attracted to plants with carrion flowers, such as the carrion beetle ''Necrodes littoralis'' which as attracted to the ''

Titan arum Titan most often refers to: * Titan (moon), the largest moon of Saturn * Titans, a race of deities in Greek mythology Titan or Titans may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional entities Fictional locations * Titan in fiction, fictiona ...

'' 'New Reekie' at

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) is a scientific centre for the study of plants, their diversity and conservation, as well as a popular tourist attraction. Founded in 1670 as a physic garden to grow medicinal plants, today it occupies ...

, the first time that carrion beetles have been recorded attracted to the plant species outside of Indonesia'. She has worked on Ichneumonid wasps within the NMS collection and has taught courses on the care of entomological specimens. Whiffin is co-organiser of the UK carrion beetle species national

biological recording Biological recording is the scientific study of the distribution of living organisms, biological records describe the presence, abundance, associations and changes, both in time and space, of wildlife.Burnett, J., Copp, C., Harding, P. (1995) Biolog ...

scheme, she has written about carrion beetles for popular science magazines and in 2021 published a UK species atlas and

identification Identification or identify may refer to: *Identity document, any document used to verify a person's identity Arts, entertainment and media * ''Identify'' (album) by Got7, 2014 * "Identify" (song), by Natalie Imbruglia, 1999 * Identification ( ...

guide on the ''Histeridae, Sphaeritidae and Silphidae of Britain and Ireland''.

Public outreach

Whiffin has published on how

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

can be used to engage the public with

museum collections A museum is distinguished by a collection of often unique objects that forms the core of its activities for exhibitions, education, research, etc. This differentiates it from an archive or library, where the contents may be more paper-based, repla ...

, helping to develop the SCOPE framework. She advocates about Scotland's wildlife to the media, highlighting the phenomenon of a non-biting midge swarms and was interviewed about how maths is used in her work and talked about her career and work on the UK Wildlife podcast in 2021. She has given public talks such an introduction to beetles and about the collection at NMS, in 2018 she spoke at the EntoSci18 event for young entomologists at Harper Adams and in 2020 she was part of the panel event 'Sharing Stories' for National Insect Week. In 2020 Whiffin was a judge for the

Royal Entomological Society The Royal Entomological Society is devoted to the study of insects. Its aims are to disseminate information about insects and improving communication between entomologists. The society was founded in 1833 as the Entomological Society of London ...

's National Insect Week 2020 Photography Competition, with

Tim Cockerill Tim Cockerill FRES is an zoologist, broadcaster and photographer in the UK, he is Senior Lecturer at Falmouth University and has a particular interest in Insects. Education and career Cockerill grew in Hull in Yorkshire, he studied a Zoology ...

and Nick Baker and sits on the Society's Outreach Committee. In 2023 Whiffin appears on BBC

Winterwatch ''Springwatch'', ''Autumnwatch'' and ''Winterwatch'', sometimes known collectively as ''The Watches'', are annual BBC television series which chart the fortunes of British wildlife during the changing of the seasons in the United Kingdom. The p ...

talking with

Gillian Burke Gillian Burke (born ) is a natural history television programme producer and voiceover artist, and has been a co-presenter of the BBC nature series ''Springwatch'' and its spin-offs since 2017. Career Burke studied biology at Bristol Univers ...

about the insects in

Warriston Cemetery Warriston Cemetery is a cemetery in Edinburgh. It lies in Warriston, one of the northern suburbs of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was built by the then newly-formed Edinburgh Cemetery Company, and occupies around of land on a slightly sloping si ...

, Edinburgh.

References

External links

National Museums Scotland webpage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whiffin, Ashleigh Living people Year of birth missing (living people) British entomologists Women entomologists 21st-century British scientists 21st-century British women scientists