Dr Diane Lister is a plant scientist with over 35 years of research experience. She studied her undergraduate degree in botany and zoology at the Australian National University, Canberra, and her MPhil and PhD at the Institute of Biotechnology, University of Cambridge and Jesus College. Following her studies, Diane had postdoctoral research positions in various biological science departments.
Her most recent post-doctoral position was in the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, where over a period of 17 years she used crop population genetics and archaeobotany to study the prehistoric spread of agriculture in various regions of Eurasia. Her research took her to many parts of the world, including China, Russia, Central Asia and Europe, meeting collaborators in the plant sciences and archaeology.
In mid-2022 Diane moved into a research administration post, as the research and communications manager of the Conservation Research Insitute (CRI), University of Cambridge. The CRI is one of the university’s Interdisciplinary Research Centres, and shares a building with 10 leading wildlife charities. Diane supports the research of the institute by running a high-profile interdisciplinary seminar series, and events that bring university researchers together with wildlife charity partners, in order to develop joint projects for the conservation of biodiversity in many regions of the world.
