Chris Thorogood Oxford

Dr Chris Thorogood is an Associate Professor of Biology at the University of Oxford and serves as Deputy Director and Head of Science of the University of Oxford Botanic Garden & Arboretum. His research spans biomimetics, plant evolution and taxonomy, and conservation biology, with a strong emphasis on translating fundamental biological insights into real-world applications. His work integrates biology with mathematics, physics, and engineering to explore how plant structures and functions can inspire innovative technologies. A major component of Dr Thorogood’s research examines key evolutionary processes such as speciation, adaptive radiation, and evolutionary convergence, particularly in carnivorous and parasitic plants. He collaborates with botanists in biodiversity hotspots worldwide to document and describe new plant species. In conservation, he is the founder of an international initiative dedicated to the protection of Rafflesia, the world’s largest flower, and is actively engaged in global conservation leadership. He is currently a Visiting Professor at the University of the Philippines. Representative publications include "Palladium Sub‐Nanoparticle Decorated ‘Bamboo’ Multi‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes Exhibit Electrochemical Metastability: Voltammetric Sensing in Otherwise Inaccessible pH Ranges", and "Differentiating between<i>ortho-</i>and<i>para</i>-Quinone Surface Groups on Graphite, Glassy Carbon, and Carbon Nanotubes Using Organic and Inorganic Voltammetric and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy Labels", which reflect their ongoing engagement with the field.