Dan Blanchon is the Curator of Botany and holds a PhD in Botany from the University of Auckland. Until 2023, he served as Director of the Applied Molecular Solutions Research Centre and Head of the School of Environmental and Animal Sciences at Unitec. He remains affiliated with Unitec as an adjunct Associate Professor. In 2013, he was elected a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London. He is co-editor of the journal Perspectives in Biosecurity and currently serves as President of the Auckland Botanical Society.
Dr Blanchon’s research interests are centred around three main areas. His first area of focus, originating from his master’s thesis on the lichen genus Ramalina, involves the taxonomy, genetics, distribution, population dynamics, and ecology of lichen species, with an emphasis on conservation management. He is currently leading a revision of the national checklist of lichens in Aotearoa, which will underpin future conservation threat assessments. His second research focus is on the management of invasive plants, particularly through the use of biocontrol agents and mycoherbicides. His third area of research is the bioremediation of asbestos-contaminated soils, identifying microbes capable of asbestos fibre biodeterioration and advancing this work from laboratory studies to field-scale trials.