Visiting Scientist Feature – Mr. Bruce Jenkins

This week, we have a new visitor here at LKCNHM!

Mr. Bruce Jenkins is a research associate from the Australian Museum in Sydney, focusing on the study of Malacology (i.e., molluscs and other shellfish).

An avid shell-collector as a teenager, Mr. Jenkins began his career as a research assistant at the Australian Museum in the 1970s.

However, in the mid-1980s he made a switch to the Information Technology (IT) sector, where he worked for almost four decades before retiring in the mid-2010s.

Upon retirement, Mr. Jenkins decided to resume his research in Malacology – and is currently working on a revision of the marine mollusc family Siphonariidae.

The 200-odd species in this family are usually found along rocky intertidal shores all around the world, except the subarctic regions.

Mr. Jenkins’ project is focusing on species of this family that are described from Australia and the Indo-western Pacific region.

To aid in his quest, he is visiting various museums in the region to examine specimens in their reference and type collections.

During his visit, Mr. Jenkins examined Siphonariidae specimens in our Zoological Reference Collection, and also went out to collect fresh specimens from places such as St John’s Island.

He will also be visiting museums in New Zealand, the Philippines, and Guam subsequently.

We wish Mr. Jenkins all the best for his research, and hope to see him again!