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Alison Foster

Dr Alison Foster is responsible for the Public Education Programme and research collaborations portfolio of the Botanic Garden. Alison has a PhD in organic chemistry and worked in the pharmaceutical industry before retraining in horticulture when her passion for plants got the better of her. Her particular interest is in medicinal plants. She has recently introduced a new medicinal plants collection to the Botanic Garden and written a short book to accompany the collection.

Series featuring Alison Foster

  • Careers in Chemistry: Beyond Academia
  • Chemistry for the Future: Solar Fuels
  • Chemistry for the Future: Meet the Scientists
  • Botanic Garden Chemistry Audio Tour
  • Botanic Garden
# Episode Title Description People Date
10 Meet the Scientists - Collaborations with the Oxford Botanic Garden Alison Foster, Senior Curator of the Oxford Botanic Garden, discusses her daily work and the transition she has made from working in a lab to working in the garden. Alison Foster 09 Oct 2013
9 Photosynthesis in Nature Dr Alison Foster, a former chemist and Senior Curator at the University of Oxford Botanic Garden explains the principals of natural photosynthesis that the Armstrong Group is trying to mimic in the lab. Alison Foster 19 Jul 2013
8 Science Communication at the University of Oxford Botanic Garden Dr Alison Foster (Jesus College), Senior Curator at the University of Oxford Botanic Garden, talks about her journey from industrial pharmaceutical chemistry research to her current role in horticulture, and offers some tips for major career transitions. Alison Foster 17 Jul 2013
7 Creative Commons 21. Thank you and goodbye Thank you for exploring the Botanic Garden with our group of plant loving chemists. Alison Foster 18 Oct 2012
6 Creative Commons 20. Pigments from plants One small part of the plant kingdom makes a different type of pigment to all the rest. Alison Foster 18 Oct 2012
5 Creative Commons 13. New medicines from plants Many modern medicines are derived from plants. Alison Foster 18 Oct 2012
4 Creative Commons 03. Take care with the word organic Hear what the word organic means to a chemist. Alison Foster 18 Oct 2012
3 Creative Commons 02. A few words about chemicals Everything is made of chemicals - whether they are from a natural source or not. Alison Foster 18 Oct 2012
2 Creative Commons 01. Welcome and Introduction A welcome to the Botanic Garden and the Chemistry at the Garden audio trail from the Senior Curator, Dr Alison Foster. Alison Foster 18 Oct 2012
1 Creative Commons The Botanic Garden - Your Modern Medicine Cabinet The first talk in the series from the Oxford Botanic Garden. This talk will describe the development of this new area as well as explaining the involvement of some of the plants grown there in the discovery and development of modern drugs. Alison Foster 15 Nov 2010