Dr Liz Hide

As Director of the Sedgwick Museum, my role is to ensure that the Museum is relevant and inspiring for all our audiences - be they members of the public, students or researchers. Post-pandemic, the role of the Museum is more important than ever in addressing social challenges,  supporting the next generation of Earth scientists and contributing to making Earth science inclusive and accessible.    As a University Museum, we are uniquely placed to bring researchers and the public together.  

I am keen to promote the use of the Museum's exceptional collections by researchers and students, and to engage a wider and more diverse public audience with the Museum's displays and public programmes.  I'm particularly interested in exploring alternative and hidden histories of the museum's collections, including colonial legacies, feminist and LGBTQ+ histories, and to consider representation and role models in the Museum's displays.   I am keen to work collaboratively with researchers, students, volunteers, community groups and members of the public to create a museum that is inclusive, welcoming and inspiring.   

With a background in palaeontology, I have spent more than 20 years working in museums as a curator, consultant and as University of Cambridge Museums Officer, where I developed and led the University of Cambridge Museums consortium, comprising eight university museums and Botanic Garden.    As an independent consultant I specialise in advocacy, strategy and public engagement in museums, with a particular focus on the university museum sector.

I am always happy to talk with researchers in any aspect of the Earth sciences about how the museum can help engage the public with your research - please do get in touch!