Jim Croft - Resume

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Resume
J.R. Croft

  • Personal
  • Contact
  • Duties
  • History
  • Field work
  • Advisory
  • Societies
  • Training
  • Scholarships
  • Grants
  • Financial
  • Publication
  • Reports
  • Websites
  • Seminars
  • In prep.
  • Editorial
  • Projects
  • Languages
  • Computers
  • Technical
  • Interests
  • Referees
  • Personal
    particulars
      Name: James Reginald Croft
      Age: 48 years
      Date of Birth: 28 May 1951
      Gender: Male
      Nationality: Australian
      Height, Weight: 184 cm, 90 kg
      Physical: No disabilities, no serious, recurrent or chronic illness
      Family: Partner and two dependent sons (16 years, 13 years)
      Profession: Public Servant, Scientific Manager, Information Technologist, Botanist
      Formal Qualifications: B.Sc. (Syd.). [M.Sc.. prelim. (Syd.)]
    Contact
    details
    Present
    Duties
    • Deputy Director, Science and Information, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Parks Australia, Evironment Australia.
    • Program Leader, Australian National Herbarium, Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, a collaborative venture between the ANBG and the CSIRO Division of Plant Industry.
      • Duties involve managing the Herbarium, Research and Information Processing programs of the ANBG, including financial and staff aspects of these programs.
      • Particular emphasis is placed on the integration of the living collection with the herbarium vouchers and other information sources, and the provision of reliable and structured botanical information to decision-makers and the public.
      • The ANBG and the CPBR form a national and regional focus for botanical information and research, and there is strong involvement with national and international projects on the standardization of biological information and the collaborative exchange of information.
    Personal
    history
    • 2001- Deputy Director, Science and Information, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Parks Australia, Evironment Australia; Program Leader, Australian National Herbarium, Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research,
    • 1997-2001: Director Botany, Australian National Botanic Gardens; Program Leader, Botanical Information and Network Management, Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research
    • 1999-2000: Y2K Year 2000 preparation and transtion coordinator, Biodiversity Group, Environment Australia.
    • 1996: Director Information Resources, Australian Nature Conservation Agency (ANCA, now part of the Biodiversity Group, Environment Australia)
    • 1994: Appointed Deputy Director, Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, and Program Leader, Botanical Infomation and Newtoek Management.
    • 1992: Appointed to Science 5, Director Botany position, translated to Senior Professional Officer A level.
    • 1990: Appointed Science 5, Acting Director Botany of the Australian National Botanic Gardens in an acting capacity until the position filled permanently.
    • 1990: Appointed Science 5, Associate Director Flora of the Bureau of Flora and Fauna through application and interview but declined to take up the position due to its redefinition.
    • 1990: Acting Director Australian National Botanic Gardens for four weeks.
    • 1989: Acting Director Australian National Botanic Gardens (including herbarium) for two three-week periods and one four week periods.
    • 1989 - 90: Formal courses in Oracle relational database design, management and SQL programming.
    • 1989: Acting Director Flora (including herbarium) in Bureau of Flora and Fauna for three weeks.
    • 1988: Appointed Curator of the Herbarium, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra.
    • 1987: Continued employment by Papua New Guinea Government as Senior Botanist and Officer in Charge of the PNG National Herbarium and National Botanic Gardens.
    • 1985: Appointed a/O.I.C., Botany Division, Lae.
    • 1984: Appointed senior Botanist, Botany Division, Lae.
    • 1980: Acting duties as O.I.C. Botany Division, Lae.
    • 1978: Promoted to Botanist Class 3, Botany Division, Lae.
    • 1975: Promoted to Botanist Class 2, Botany Division, Lae.
    • 1973: Graduated with B.Sc. and commenced employment immediately as a botanist at the Department of Forests Division of Botany in Lae, Papua New Guinea. Scientific Officer Class 1.
    • 1971: Enroled in Science Faculty at the University of Sydney. Followed parallel botany and zoology courses with emphasis on plant and animal systematics and ecology options.
    • 1967: Parents moved to New Caledonia. Enroled as a boarder at The Scots College in Sydney. Completed secondary education and matriculated 1970. Travelled to New Caledonia three times a year during the period 1967 to 1972. Vacation employment as a builders assistant and later as a trainee builder.
    • 1964: Parents moved to Fiji. Commenced secondary education at Suva Grammar School.
    • 1960: Parents returned to Australia. Attended Henley State Primary School, Adelaide, South Australia.
    • 1954: Parents moved to the then Territory of Papua New Guinea. Attended Ela Beach Primary School, Port Moresby.
    • 1951: Born 28 May 1951, Melbourne, Australia.
    Field work

      The following are major botanical survey expeditions during most of which 200 or more collections of higher plants were made:

    • 2000: January: Norfolk Island: Survey of pteridophytes throughout the island.
    • 1989: Macquarie Island: Part of 1989/90 ANARE summer research program. Collecting herbarium specimens and live material for propagation in Australian and overseas botanic gardens
    • 1988: Tasmania, South and South West. General collection, emphasis on rare and endangered plants. WWF sponsored, in collaboration with Tasmanian National Parks.
    • 1986: August: Mt Bosavi (Southern Highlands province). General botanical collecting. Training PNG botanists in expedition management and logistics.
    • 1984: October: Lelet Plateau and Lihir Island (New Ireland Province). Expedition leader, general botanical survey and botanical inspection of proposed mine site.
    • 1983: October: Escorting visiting botanists to Wau-Bulolo area.
    • 1982: August-September: Vamino and Bewani Mountains (West Sepik province). Expedition leader, general botanical collecting.
    • 1981: March: Admiralty Islands (Manus Province). Expedition leader, general botanical collecting.
    • 1979: November-December: Nomad, Strickland and Fly rivers (Western Province). Botanical support for "Operation Drake". General botanical collecting and training of participants.
    • 1979: March: Misima, Sudest and Rossel Islands (Milne Bay Province). Expedition leader, general botanical survey.
    • 1979: January: Mt Giluwe. General botanical collecting with visiting botanists.
    • 1977: November-December: Fergusson Island, Normanby Island, Goodenough Island (Milne Bay Province). Expedition leader, general botanical survey.
    • 1977: May: Wau-Bulolo, central highlands. General collecting.
    • 1977: February: Bongu/Madang and Wau/Bulolo. Lead a party of visiting Russian botanists, general collecting.
    • 1976: November-December: Fergusson Island and Normanby Island (Milne Bay Province). Expedition leader, general botanical collecting.
    • 1976: August: Huon Peninsula (Morobe Province). Botanical survey for environmental impact study of proposed Lae-Finschhafen road.
    • 1976: July-August: Natter Bay (Morobe Province). Collecting tree species from logging areas.
    • 1976: May: Usino (Madang Province). General collections and palm seed.
    • 1975: September-October: Guiding and assisting KEW expedition to Hans Meyer Range (southern New Ireland Province). General botanical collecting.
    • 1975: August-September: Guiding and assisting KEW expedition to Mt Piora (Eastern Highlands Province), with Martin Sands (Kew Leader). General botanical collecting.
    • 1975: March-April-May-June: Leader, joint Lae/Leiden/ANU expedition to the Star Mountains (West Sepik Province), with Jeff Veldkamp and Andries Touw (L) and Geoff Hope (ANU). General botanical collections and palynological sampling.
    • 1974: November: Mt Giluwe. Survey Nothofagus plot.
    • 1974: September-October: New Ireland, New Hanover. (New Ireland Province). Forest helicopter survey, general botanical collecting. Leader of botanical section.
    • 1974: June-July-August: Leader, joint LAE/CANB/ANU expedition to Mt Albert-Edward, Mt Victoria and Lake Myola (Central Province), with Lynn Craven (CSIRO) and Geoff Hope (ANU). General botanical collecting.
    • 1974: March-April: Baimuru-Kerema (Gulf Province). Helicopter timber survey, general botanical collecting. Leader of botanical section.
    • 1973: December to 1974: January-February: Mt Giluwe (Southern Highlands Province). Studies in suspected Phytophora die-back in Nothofagus, general botanical collecting. Supervision and training of Forestry College Students.
    • 1973: September-October: Efogi-Lake Myola (Central province). General botanicalcollecting.
    • 1973: May-June: East and West New Britain. Helicopter timber survey, general botanical collecting.
    Advisory
    Committees
    etc.
    • Atzera Range environmental management committee, (Lae).
    • Wau Ecology Institute rural and agricultural development committee.
    • Wau Ecology Institute medicinal plants committee.
    • PNG Flora Protection and Conservation committee.
    • Departmental planning group for proposed new Forest Research Institute to be constructed in LAE.
    • Microcomputer hardware software and programming consultant PNG University of Technology, Forestry faculty.
    • The ad hoc PNG Botanical Society committee.
    • Papua New Guinea representative, Council Heads of Australian Herbaria (CHAH).
    • ANBG representative, Council of Heads of Australian Herbaria (CHAH).
    • Australian National Herbarium Representative, Herbarium Information Systems sub-Committee (HISCOM) of CHAH.
    • Staff review committee, ANU Botany Department.
    • Joint coordinator, 1990 Australian Systematic Botanical Society Symposium, Canberra
    • International Plant Names Project, a collaborative venture with Kew and Harvard
    • Various Departmental committees and working groups (Year 2000 issues, WWW implementation, IT and network planning, etc.)
    • Planning Committee, Flora Malesiana Symposium (2001)
    • Planning Committee, 4th International Legume Conference, bioinformatics sessions (2001)
    • Planning Committee, Botanic Gardens 2001 Conference
    Societies,
    Associations
    • Taxonomic Databases Working Group (TDWG)
    • International Organization for Plant Information (IOPI)
    • International Association of Plant Taxonomists
    • Association of Pacific Systematists
    • Australian Systematic Botany Society
    • Papua New Guinea Botanical Society
    • Papua New Guinea Scientific Society (until its demise)
    Training

      In addition to continuous on-the-job training of botanists and herbarium staff, I have run the following special courses:

    • 1975: August: presented courses at Forestry College on lower plant and gymnosperm systematics.
    • 1983: February-June: Relieving lecturer Bulolo Forestry college. Courses in forest ecology and forest botany
    • 1986: May: presented lectures and practical classes in pteridophyte systematics, taxonomy and ecology, for final year students, University of Papua New Guinea Biology Department.
    • 1987: August: University of Papua New Guinea, presented courses and practical classes in pteridophyte systematics, taxonomy and ecology.
    Scholarships
    • 1968 - 1969: Commonwealth Secondary Scholarship
    • 1970 - 1972: Commonwealth University Scholarship
    Grants,
    contracts,
    etc.
    • 1999: Contract from ABRS to prepare summary of recent name changes in the Australian flora.
    • 1998: Grant from the US National Science Foundation to develop International PlantNames Index.
    • 1998: Contract from ABRS to update parts of the APNI database.
    • 1997: Contract from ERIN to update parts of the APNI database.
    • 1997: Grant from the US National Science Foundation to develop proof of concept distributed database for the International Plant Names Project.
    • 1997: Grants from Kew and Harvard to attend planning workshops in connection with the International Plant Names Project.
    • Grants from ERIN to database herbarium specimens of particular landcover significance.
    • Grants from US National Science Foundation to attended workshops in the US on botanical database design and data standards
    • Grants from from the Snithsonian Institute to attended workshops in the US on botanical database design and data standards.
    • 1986: Successful application to PNGBF to supply microcomputer and printer to Botany Branch.
    • 1985: Successful joint application (with PNG University of Technology) to PNGBF to support PNG botanist Osia Gideon on overseas study visit to European, American and Australian Herbaria for three months (Mussaenda taxonomy).
    • 1984-85: Supervising PNGBF (Papua New Guinea Biological Foundation) grant to Pana Manaha for medicinal plant research on Huon Peninsula.
    Financial
    • Since arriving at the ANBG, involved in estimate preparation and expenditure control of the Herbarium and Botany Section of the Australian National Botanic Gardens.
    • With the formation of the Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research responsible for the ANBG contribution to the Centre.
    • Presently responsible for managing a staff budget of c. $725,000 and an operatons budget of c. $300,000.
    Publications
      Croft, J., Cross, N., Hinchcliffe, S., Nic Lughadha, E., Stevens, P.F., West, J.G. & Whitbread, G. 1999. Plant names for the 21st century: The International Plant Names Index, a distributed data source of general accessibility. Taxon 48: 317-324
      Chapman, A.D & Croft J.R. 1998 (in press ?). Networking species diversity data in the Clearing-House mechanism under the Convention on Biological Diversity. CODATA. Springer-Verlag.
      Green, D.G. & Croft, J.R. 1994. Proposal for Implementing a Network of Biodiversity Information. In Linking Mechanisms for Biodiversity Information. Procedings of a workshop for the Biodiversity Information Network, Base de Dados Tropical, Campinas Sao Paulo, Brasil.
      Croft, J.R. 1992. Australian Botanical Biodiversity Networks. Human (mostly) and electronic (starting) - a national perspective. In V. Cahnos et al. (ed.) Needs and specifications for a Biodiversity Information Network. United Nations Environment Program, Nairobi. Publication also available electronically at BDT.
      Earnshaw, M.J., Gunn, T.C., and Croft, J.R. 1988. Shoot temperature measurements of montane Cyathea (Pteridophyta) species in Papua New Guinea. Fern Gaz. 13: 209-216. (Tree fern scales act as a glass house during the day rather than an insulator at night).
      Earnshaw, M.J., Winter, K., Ziegler, H., Cruttwell, N.E.G., Kerenga, K., Cribb, P.J., Croft, J.R., Carver, K.A, and Gunn, T.C. 1987. Altitudinal changes in the incidence of crassulacean acid metabolism in vascular epiphytes and related life forms in Papua New Guinea. Oecologica (Berl.) 73: 566-72.
      Croft, J.R. 1987. The other products from the forest. Klinkii 3:35-52. (A review of the non-timber resources of PNG forests, including commercial minor forest products, tradititional materials, food and medicines.)
      Croft, J.R. 1986. The stipe and rachis vasculature of the Dicksonioid fern Cystodium sorbifolium (Cystodiaceae). Kew Bulletin 41: 789-803, f. 1-6, map 1. (New family described, remote from Dicksonioid genera on anatomical, cytological, morphological grounds. 1 new subspecies recognized).
      Croft, J.R. 1986. A rose by any other name - an apology for dendrotaxonomy. Klinkii 3: 76-88. (Summary of recent name changes in the most important New Guinea timber species, with explanations of the relevant rules of botanical nomenclature).
      Croft, J.R. 1986. Papua New Guinea Botanical Society. Aust. Syst. Bot. Soc. Newsl. 49: 14-15. (report of activities for 1986).
      Croft, J.R. 1985. Ferns and fern allies. In Leach, G.L. and Osborne, P.L., Fresh water plants of Papua New Guinea. pp. 22, 33-74, f. 6-13. (Taxonomic account with keys to 11 families, 21 species of aquatic pteridophytes).
      Croft, J.R. & Leach, D.N. 1985. New Guinea salt-fern (Asplenium acrobryum complex): identity, distribution, and chemical composition of its salt. Economic Botany 39: 139-149, f. 1-6. (Universal misidentification corrected, dietary potassium salt, comparable with other salt-yielding plants in New Guinea and supposedly related species of Asplenium).
      Kerenga, K. & Croft, J.R. 1984. Notes on the vegetation at the collection sites of the Division of Botany expedition to Manus, 1981. Science in New Guinea 11: 43-49, f. 1-2. (General habitat and vegetation descriptions).
      Croft, J.R. 1983. An historical survey of Botanical exploration in the Admiralty Islands, Manus Province, Papua New Guinea. Science in New Guinea 10: 1-15, f. 1-4, cover. (Statistical review of botanical collecting since first European contact).
      Croft, J.R. 1981. Diverse means of casual track indication in Papua New Guinea. Science in New Guinea 8: 202-204. (Plants are used in various and sometimes conflicting ways to indicate which branch in a path to take).
      Croft, J.R. 1981a. Bixaceae. In Henty (ed.) Handbook Flora of Papua New Guinea 2: 1-3, f. 1. Melbourne University Press. (Taxonomic account for New Guinea and Solomon Islands).
      Croft, J.R. 1981b. Bombacaceae. In Henty (ed.) Handbook Flora of Papua New Guinea 2: 4-18, f. 2-6. Melbourne University Press. (Taxonomic account for New Guinea and Solomon Islands).
      Croft, J.R. 1981c. Cochlospermaceae. In Henty (ed.) Handbook Flora of Papua New Guinea 2: 28-30, f. 10. Melbourne University Press. (Taxonomic account for New Guinea and Solomon Islands).
      Croft, J.R. 1981d. Hamamelidaceae. In Henty (ed.) Handbook Flora of Papua New Guinea 2: 186-189, f. 41. Melbourne University Press. (Taxonomic account for New Guinea and Solomon Islands).
      Croft, J.R. 1981e. Hernandiaceae. In Henty (ed.) Handbook Flora of Papua New Guinea 2: 190-201, f. 42 - 45. Melbourne University Press. (Taxonomic account for New Guinea and Solomon Islands).
      Croft, J.R. 1981f. Styracaceae. In Henty (ed.) Handbook Flora of Papua New Guinea 2: 262 - 267, f. 61 - 62. Melbourne University Press. (Taxonomic account for New Guinea and Solomon Islands).
      Croft, J.R. 1980. A Taxonomic revision of Isoetes L. (Isoetaceae) in Papuasia. Blumea 26: 177-190, f. 1, pl. 1-21. (2 new species, 1 new subspecies, distribution of populations postulated to relicts of a pre-glacial cline).
      Croft, J.R. 1978a. Datiscaceae. In Womersley (ed.) Handbook Flora of Papua New Guinea 1: 114-122, f. 52-62. Melbourne University Press. (Taxonomic account for New Guinea and Solomon Islands).
      Croft, J.R. 1978b. Eupomatiaceae. In Womersley (ed.) Handbook Flora of Papua New Guinea 1: 123-125, f. 63. Melbourne University Press. (Taxonomic account for New Guinea and Solomon Islands).
      Croft, J.R. 1978c. Himantandraceae. In Womersley (ed.) Handbook Flora of Papua New Guinea 1: 126-128, f. 64. Melbourne University Press. (Taxonomic account for New Guinea and Solomon Islands).
      Croft, J.R. 1978d. Magnoliaceae. In Womersley (ed.) Handbook Flora of Papua New Guinea 1: 129-134, f. 65-66. Melbourne University Press. (Taxonomic account for New Guinea and Solomon Islands).
      Barker, W.R. & Croft, J.R. 1977. The distribution of Macgregor's bird of Paradise. The Emu, October 1977: 219-222, f. 1-2. (significant range extension, human predation postulated for the birds absence in intervening areas).
    Websites,
    Internet,
    etc.
    Seminar
    papers,
    workshops,
    etc.
    • Herbarium Interchange Standards and Protocols for the Interchange of Data (HISPID). Australian National Botanic Gardens 1989.
    • Redevelopment of the Australian Plant Name Index. Software in Systematics Symposium, Adelaide. 1998.
    • Towards and Australian Virtual Herbarium. Software in Systematics Symposium, Adelaide. 1998.
    • The history of botanical collecting in the Finisterre and Saruwaged ranges. PNG Botanical Society 1981.
    • The Distribution of Isoetes in PNG. PNG Botanical Society, 1981.
    • Ferns and Man in New Guinea. PNG Botanical Society, 1982.
    • Systematics and biogeography of the Dicksonoid ferns. PNG Botanical Society, 1984.
    • Good trees and bad trees. A survey of useful and harmful trees of the Forests of PNG. PNG University of Technology, Forestry Department seminar, 1985.
    • The floristic affinities of the fern floras of the Bismarck Arhipelago, and the Milne Bay Islands. PNG Botanical Society, 1985.
    • Field Temperature measurements and water relations of montane Cyathea species in Papua New Guinea. PNG Botanical Society 1986.
    Editorial
    • Volume III of the Handbook Flora of PNG; passed to Melbourne University Press on leaving PNG.
    • Volume IV of the Handbook Flora of PNG; compilation of material and treatments.
    • Checklist of the flora of Kairiru, by Br William Borrell. Editing major sections, especially pteridophytes, advice on layout, seeking grants for publication etc. Privately published.
    • Reprinting with revision out of print Botany Bulletins: Dictionary of generic names; Fred Essig's guide to the palm flora of PNG.
    • Regularly asked to referee botanical articles for as part of internal review processes and have refereed papers for journals such as Economic Botany, PNG Journal of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries, Science in New Guinea, and research reports from the PNG University of Technology.
    Other
    Projects
    Languages
    • Mother tongue is English
    • French (comprehension of written and oral material)
    • Neo-Melanesian (New Guinea Pidgin, fluency)
    • Botanical Latin
    Computers
    • Familarity with microcomputer and Unix workstation hardware, internal structure, operating systems, communications, software and programming, general maintenance.
    • Familiarity with DOS, Windows (3.5, 95 and NT) and Mac operating environments
    • Peripheral interfacing, software, hardware and programming techniques.
    • Detailed familiarity with a range proprietary word-processing, database, spreadsheet and other office automation packageson the above systems.
    • Languages: familiar with BASIC, FORTRAN (a little out of practice), a little PASCAL, C, PERL, dBase II/III/IV command language.
    • Applications development and programming with relational database products, dBase, Rbase, MS Access, Paradox, and Oracle RDBMS under MS Windows, Windows NT, UNIX.
    • Courses in ORACLE relational database design, management and programming, including SQL programming and use of the Oracle Computer Aided Systems Engineering (CASE) suite of products.
    • Zilog Z80 assembler code and Intel 8080 assembler code at both operating system and hardware level.
    • Detailed knowledge of Unix, MSDOS, Windows and CP/M operating systems and management utilities. Familiarity of Apple MacIntosh applications.
    • Internet Client and server applications: email list servers, FTP, Gopher, World Wide Web, Wide Area Information Servers (WAIS), gateways between these.
    • HTML programming - at code level an using various HTML editors.
    Technical &
    mechanicalskills
    • Boat-building, carpentry, joinery, general building and maintenance.
    • Automobile, motorcycle, chainsaw and outboard motor maintenance, servicing and repair.
    • Australian, PNG and PNG government car and motocycle licences.
    • Photography, black and white film development and printing.
    Other
    personal
    interests
    • Sea kayaking, coastal kayak touring
    • Marathon flatwater kayak racing at State and National level
    • White water kayaking
    • Photography (including digital image processing).
    • Pteridophyte collecting (personal collection of 3,000 specimens, donated to the Australian National Herbarium).
    • Bush walking and camping.
    • Competetive bushwalking (rogaining)
    • Computer programming and network development.
    • skin diving, snorkelling, scuba diving
    • Sailing, boat-building, boat repair.
    • Carpentry, cabinet and furniture making.
    Referees

      The following associates and colleagues may be contacted for references:

      Dr Judy West
      Director
      Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research
      G.P.O. Box 1600
      Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
      [ email: judyw@pi.csiro.au
      Mr John Hicks
      Executive Director
      Parks Australia South
      G.P.O. Box 1777
      Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
      [ email: john.hicks@deh.gov.au ]
      Judy West is Director of the Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research and one of my immediate supervisors. John Hicks is Director of the Australian National Botanic Gardens and one of my immediate supervisors.
      Dr Geoff Hope
      Professor and Head of Department
      Department of Archeology and Natural History
      Research School of Pacific Studies
      Australian National University
      G.P.O. Box 4
      Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
      [ email: geoffrey.hope@anu.edu.au ]
      Dr David Green
      Professor of Information Technology
      The Johnstone Centre
      School of Environment & Information Sciences
      Charles Sturt University
      P.O. Box 789
      Albury, NSW 2640, Australia
      [ email: mailto:dgreen@csu.edu.au]
      Geoff Hope is a colleague in Canberra with whom I have spent several extended periods of botanical fieldwork in remote areas of Papua New Guinea in the 1970s and 1980s. David Green is a colleague in Canberra with whom I have collaborated since 1991 in the development of international network information delivery systems, in particular those involving the World Wide Web.