Natural History Museum X Joanie: Q&A with Erica McAlister, Senior Curator for Diptera and Siphonaptera

In celebration of the Natural History Museum X Joanie collection, we're sitting down with some of the female scientists working at the Museum across an array of fields to learn more about what got them into science and their careers so far!

This week, we're talking to Erica McAlister, Senior Curator for Diptera and Siphonaptera at the Natural History Museum.

Hi Erica! Can you tell us a bit about your specific scientific area of study or interest?

I am one of the curators responsible for the fly collection, and I have the whole of the flea collection to look after. I am responsible for maintaining and enhancing the collection, as well as researching it and facilitating others to do so. One of the areas I have been working on is historic DNA recovery using non-destructive methods (in collaboration with the Sanger Institute) in mosquitoes to help us understand cryptic species, as well as asking questions about insecticide resistance, population change, and even blood meal composition. I am particularly focused on Culicidae (mosquito), fungus gnats and their kin, as well as larger Brachycera.

I am also working with Operation Wallacea in Dominica, Romania, and Knepp Castle Estate, West Sussex, where I am undertaking biodiversity and Taxonomic studies as well as teaching students about entomology and fieldwork, and we have described new species of fly from Dominica. I am also researching bat-flies of Dominica and their hosts.

I am very much involved in teaching entomology (various Masters courses) and science outreach, specifically about flies, biodiversity, and ecology. I am Chair of the Dipterists Forum and co-run the Flat and Bat fly recording scheme.

What has your career looked like so far, and what drew you to the Natural History Museum?

When I was undertaking my Ph.D., I was in need of assistance for some fly identifications, and one of my supervisors suggested I contact the Museum for advice. I was not really aware of the collections or the research that was undertaken there at the time, but I contacted Dr Steve Brooks, an expert in non-biting midges, and he said come along.

The first time I was allowed behind the scenes of the entomology department was a defining moment in my life, as I saw the enormity of the collection and met the folks who researched and maintained it!
I went back to them for further assistance, and as soon as I could, I volunteered! This turned into short contracts, a temporary contract, then a full-time job.

My career with the Museum has been varied – not always easy – but always challenging. I have travelled far and wide on fieldwork - working in villages, up mountains, and down caves – collecting flies for all sorts of reasons, including biodiversity, food security, and human health. I get to work with one of the most important collections in the world and can now add to its worth, as well as unlocking it for all to use via databasing and digitising.

What inspired you to get into science - is it something you’ve always been interested in, or was there something or someone specifically that influenced your decision to pursue a career in STEM?

I love science, and I love nature. I love watching things - small things - and wondering what they are doing and how they are doing it. Being given a microscope early on may have had something to do with it as well…

I was also exceptionally lucky with one lecturer whilst studying Environmental Biology at Manchester University. Dr. Dick Askew is the king of Parasitica, and on my first-year field trip to the Dordogne, whilst walking with him, he scooped up a handful of insects and said, ‘that eats that, that lays its eggs in that, and that one parasitises that’ – I was hooked.

What would you say are the major challenges as a woman working in a scientific field?

Sadly, there are still so many, but the world and research are changing, albeit slowly. The way we study science is still very difficult for females, though – publications are the most important criteria that have an impact on family or personal commitments – many of which are still more often than not performed by females – so trying to properly maintain a balance is hard.

Females had in the past been pushed into certain sciences that were thought more suitable for them, which I believe has limited all scientific disciplines as they have historically lacked a diverse voice and thought. But now, more females are coming through, and more cross-disciplinary collaborations are happening, which is changing the working pattern and how we communicate science.

On a practical level, fieldwork can be challenging but enjoyable. I have often been the only female on a trip or the senior scientist in countries that are not used to females in senior positions. But once more, research and respect were useful tools.

What advice would you give to aspiring young scientists - especially young girls - who might feel daunted by the prospect of scientific study?

Go for it. I may moan about certain things, but I adore my subject and knowing that I am helping to describe and understand this planet fills me with joy – I am giving back. I have also stuck to my guns and who I am – I am not anyone else but me, and it is my personality that has kept me going when times have been tough.

What’s the most exciting thing about your job?

Erm, most of it! I love the collection and the stories held within it. I love the research on the collection and my collaborations. I love the fieldwork and teaching and then identifying everything after. I have enjoyed shouting about flies to all that will listen – telling an audience at the Royal Albert Hall about botflies in camel's nostrils (Part of Robin Ince and Brian Cox’s Christmas Compendium) and then singing the Fairy Tail of New York on stage with Boy George and others has to be up there with the most surreal and unexpected output of my career so far…

Want to learn more about Erica's work at the Natural History Museum? She recently participated in a live video showcasing hidden treasures within the Museum's fly collection.

Bonus points for anyone who can spot which Natural History Museum X Joanie style she's wearing!

Shop the Natural History Museum X Joanie collection now, exclusively at Joanie Clothing!