Ms Jan Beccaloni

I am the Senior Curator of Chelicerata (Arachnida, Xiphosurida, Pycnogonida), Myriapoda, Tardigrada & Onychophora - collections that comprise nearly 3 million specimens. I am developing these collections through improving physical and virtual access (e.g. curation, digitisation, loans and hosting visits from specialists), as well as through fieldwork, plus collaboration with institutions around the world and UK arachnid societies.

My current research areas are:

"Xiphosurida specimens with abnormalities in the collection of the Natural History Museum, London"

"Specimens of Argas hermanni Audouin, 1827 (Ixodida: Argasidae) from an ancient Egyptian tomb"

"An annotated type catalogue of the sea spiders (Pycnogonida, Pantopoda) at the Natural History Museum, London"

"An annotated type catalogue of harvestmen (Opiliones) at the Natural History Museum, London" (international collaboration with Professor Adriano Kury, MNRJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

"A checklist and bibliography of the astigmatid mites recorded from the British Isles" with Dr Anne Baker (NHM)

My current curation areas are:

Specimen-level databasing and digitisation of the Natural History Museum's Pseudoscorpion microscope slide collection, Pycnogonida type spirit collection and Opiliones collection.

I am involved with exhibition development, marketing and publishing projects. I participate in internal Public Engagement events such as Nature Live, Night Safari and Dinosnores science shows; as well as external PEG events such as lectures to Natural History Societies, school events and radio programmes. I am also involved with training activities (e.g. running courses on spider morphology and behaviour).