Quick Facts
Biography
Barbara Pickersgill (born 1940) is a British botanist with a special interest in the domestication of crops, the genetics, taxonomy, and evolutionary biology of cultivated plants, and the preservation of crop diversity. Her 1966 dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy from Indiana University concerned the taxonomy of Capsicum chinense.
In 2005 she retired from the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Reading, to become an Honorary Research Associate. Her research projects include:
The molecular systematics and the use of wild species in the improvement of farmed chillis (Capsicum)
Research on the domestication of crops, notably the common bean, Phaseolus vulgaris, working with the Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT) in Colombia
The genetic diversity, conservation and improvement of tropical crops such as:
Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa), working with the Centro Internacional de la Papa (CIP) in Peru
Banana (Musa species) from the East African Highlands
Honours
In 1993 the Linnean Society of London presented Pickersgill with the Linnean Medal for her contribution to botany.
In 2000 she was the president of the Society for Economic Botany.
On August 4, 2006 the Linnean Society of London organized a one-day conference in honor of Pickersgill.