Sir Peter Crane,
FRS (born 18 July 1954) is the current President of the Oak Spring Garden Foundation and Senior Research Scientist in the
School of Forestry and Environmental Studies at
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
. In addition to his work in leading and developing educational and natural history organizations, including the
Field Museum in Chicago and the
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. An internationally important botanical research and education institution, it employs 1,100 ...
, he has had a long career as a professor and researcher in both the U.K. and the United States. He is best known for his work on the origin and early evolution of flowering plants (
angiosperms
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
) based on studies of the plant fossil record. His popular writing includes ''Ginkgo: The Tree That Time Forgot'', a book that traces the evolution and cultural history of ''
Ginkgo biloba
''Ginkgo biloba'', commonly known as ginkgo or gingko ( ), also known as the maidenhair tree, is a species of tree native to China. It is the last living species in the order Ginkgoales, which first appeared over 290 million years ago. Fossils ...
'' to the present day.
Personal life and education
Peter Crane was born in
Kettering, Northamptonshire
Kettering is a market and industrial town in North Northamptonshire, England. It is located north of London and north-east of Northampton, west of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene. The name means "the place (or territory) of ...
in the United Kingdom. He attended Kettering Grammar School where he developed a strong interest in local history and archaeology as well as plants, and the
University of Reading
The University of Reading is a public university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading, a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 192 ...
, where he received his B.Sc. in Botany, with honors, in 1975. He received his Ph.D. in Botany from Reading in 1981, having also served on the faculty there from 1978 with his thesis, "Studies on the Flora of the
Reading Beds
The Reading Formation is a geologic formation in southern England. It dates to the Paleocene period, and is part of the Lambeth Group. It overlies the London Basin and is below the Harwich Formation. The formation is composed of "a series of lent ...
(Upper Palaeocene)."
Crane is married with two children, a daughter and son.
Career
Peter Crane has held positions at the University of Reading (1978-1981), the Field Museum (1982-1999), the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (1999-2006), the University of Chicago (2006-2009), Yale University (2009-2016) and the Oak Spring Garden Foundation (2016–present), among others. He has also held visiting or part-time positions at universities and museums around the world. The following section discusses some of his professional accomplishments in more detail.
The Field Museum of Natural History
Crane spent about 17 years working at the
Field Museum of Natural History
The Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH), also known as The Field Museum, is a natural history museum in Chicago, Illinois, and is one of the largest such museums in the world. The museum is popular for the size and quality of its educational ...
. Following a postdoctoral research position at
Indiana University, Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, or simply Indiana) is a public research university in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the flagship campus of Indiana University and, with over 40,000 students, its largest campu ...
, Crane began in the Field Museum's Geology department as assistant curator of
paleobotany
Paleobotany, which is also spelled as palaeobotany, is the branch of botany dealing with the recovery and identification of plant remains from geological contexts, and their use for the biological reconstruction of past environments (paleogeogr ...
. From 1982 to 1992, he held a variety of curatorial positions in the Department of Geology. Following a brief period as a Vice-President of the museum, Crane became Director of the Field Museum in 1995.
His tenure as Director of the Field Museum saw strengthening of the museum's programs in collections and research as well as the creation of two cross departmental units, the Center for Cultural Understanding and Change, and the Office of Environmental and Conservation Programs. His time as Director also included the acquisition of "
Sue," a well-preserved and almost complete
Tyrannosaurus rex
''Tyrannosaurus'' is a genus of large theropod dinosaur. The species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' (''rex'' meaning "king" in Latin), often called ''T. rex'' or colloquially ''T-Rex'', is one of the best represented theropods. ''Tyrannosaurus'' live ...
skeleton. Sue has since become an iconic fixture at the Field Museum.
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
In 1999, Crane left the Field Museum to become Director and Chief Executive of the
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. An internationally important botanical research and education institution, it employs 1,100 ...
.
Crane sought to better connect the conservation and botanical work at Kew with the public side of the institution.
Crane's time at Kew included the attainment of UNESCO World Heritage site status and an embrace of digital technology, as well as an increase in the presence of seasonal themes and festivals that helped increase visitor attendance. His tenure at Kew saw increased visitation, both at Kew and also at
Wakehurst Place
Wakehurst, previously known as Wakehurst Place, is a house and botanic gardens in West Sussex, England, owned by the National Trust but used and managed by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It is near Ardingly, West Sussex in the High Weald (g ...
, and a strengthening emphasis on the importance of biodiversity and the world of plants for the future of people.
The University of Chicago
Upon taking the position at Kew, Crane had said that he would not spend the rest of his career there. True to his word, Crane left Kew in 2006 to return to the United States, taking a University Professorship at the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
.
Crane spent three years at the University of Chicago.
Yale University
Crane became the Dean of the
Yale
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...
School of Forestry and Environmental Studies (FES) in 2009 (succeeding
James Speth
James Gustave (Gus) Speth (born March 4, 1942) is an American environmental lawyer and advocate who co-founded the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Early life and education
He was born in Orangeburg, South Carolina in 1942. He graduated Lati ...
). His arrival coincided with the rippling effects of the late 2008
Great Recession
The Great Recession was a period of marked general decline, i.e. a recession, observed in national economies globally that occurred from late 2007 into 2009. The scale and timing of the recession varied from country to country (see map). At ...
, and Crane played an important role in stabilizing the school's finances. Among his many other duties, he was involved in a variety of projects to provide student financial support and to increase student involvement in research. He also forged connections with other graduate programs (including the
Yale School of Management
The Yale School of Management (also known as Yale SOM) is the graduate business school of Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. The school awards the Master of Business Administration (MBA), MBA for Executives ...
). Crane also recruited several new scholars to the school and sought to strengthen programs supporting diversity and inclusion. In regards to research, Crane worked to increase research collaboration within the school.
Oak Spring Garden Foundation
In June 2016, Crane moved to northern Virginia to lead The Oak Spring Garden Foundation, a nascent nonprofit founded by the landscape designer and fashion icon
Rachel "Bunny" Lambert Mellon.
Located on part of the Mellons' former Virginia estate, called Oak Spring, the Foundation's mission is to "support and inspire fresh thinking and bold action on the history and future of plants, including the art and culture of plants, gardens and landscapes."
Containing Bunny Mellon's gardens and rare book library, the Oak Spring Garden Foundation supports research and scholarship relating to the diversity and future of plants; the art of plants, gardens, and landscapes. Crane is the inaugural president of the Foundation.
Research and publications
Peter Crane's research interests include:
# Large-scale patterns and processes of plant evolution, plant paleontology.
# Integrated paleobotanical and neobotanical studies of plant diversity and evolution.
# Conservation of plant diversity, including crop diversity.
# Strategic planning for collections-based not-for-profit organizations, especially museums and botanical gardens.
As well as numerous scientific and popular articles, Crane has written ''Ginkgo: The Tree That Time Forgot'', been an editor for peer-reviewed journals such as ''Paleobiology'' and ''The Botanical Review of the Linnaean Society,'' and contributed as editor to multiple volumes on the evolution and conservation of plants.
He also co-wrote two major books on plant evolution. The first, written with Paul Kenrick, is titled: ''The Origin and Diversification of Land Plants.'' The second, written with
Else Marie Friis
Else Marie Friis (born 18 June 1947) is a Danish botanist and paleontologist. She is Professor Emerita in the Department of Geoscience at Aarhus University. Her work has been fundamental in the phylogenetic analysis of angiosperms, with widespre ...
and Kaj Pedersen in 2011, is titled ''Early Flowers and Angiosperm Evolution''.
Honors and awards
He is a fellow of the
Royal Society
The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
(1998), a member of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...
, a foreign associate of the
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...
(2001),
a foreign member of the
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences ( sv, Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien) is one of the Swedish Royal Academies, royal academies of Sweden. Founded on 2 June 1739, it is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization that takes special ...
(2002), and a Member of the
Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina
The German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (german: Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina – Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften), short Leopoldina, is the national academy of Germany, and is located in Halle (Saale). Founded ...
(German National Academy of Sciences, 2004). He was awarded a
knighthood
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
on 12 June 2004 in the
2004 Birthday Honours
The Birthday Honours 2004 for the Commonwealth realms were announced on 11 June 2004 for the United Kingdom, New Zealand, the Cook IslandsCook Islands list: and elsewhere to celebrate the Queen's Birthday of 2004.
The recipients of honours are d ...
for services to horticulture and conservation. In 2014 he was awarded the
International Prize for Biology
The is an annual award for "outstanding contribution to the advancement of research in fundamental biology." The Prize, although it is not always awarded to a biologist, is one of the most prestigious honours a natural scientist can receive. Ther ...
.
He is the recipient of several honorary degrees including from
Sewanee: The University of the South and the
University of Connecticut
The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Hart ...
in the United States, and
the University of Kingston, the
University of Portsmouth
The University of Portsmouth is a public university in Portsmouth, England. It is one of only four universities in the South East England, South East of England rated as Gold in the Government's Teaching Excellence Framework. With approximately 28 ...
and
Cambridge University
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
in the UK.
Further reading
Pulling up roots an interview with Peter Crane by Stuart Jeffries. The Guardian. 29 April 2006.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crane, Peter
1954 births
Living people
Botanists active in Kew Gardens
Fellows of the Royal Society
Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences
Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Knights Bachelor
Alumni of the University of Reading
University of Chicago faculty
Yale University faculty
20th-century British botanists
21st-century British botanists
People associated with the Field Museum of Natural History
Crane