Richard Milne at Just FestivalDr Richard Milne is a senior lecturer in evolutionary biology at the University of Edinburgh.

His research work primarily focuses on plant geography and evolution, but he has strong interests in science communication, critical thinking, and how changes in how we produce our food could lead to a more sustainable future.

Dr Milne obtained his BSc at The university of Bristol in 1991, and then spent half a year on an expedition to S America examining plant diversity.  He completed his PhD at the University of St Andrews in 1997, and continued to work on various research projects there until he moved to Edinburgh in 2004.

Dr Milne’s lectures are extremely popular with undergraduate students, and he was voted Most Innovative Lecturer in 2009, then best overall lecturer in 2010, and this year won the Van Heynigan award for teaching in Science and Engineering .  He was also shortlisted for Bioscience Teacher of the Year in 2011.