You know when you’re walking around the Botanic gardens and you see that house in the middle of it and wonder who’s lucky enough to live there? Mathew Jebb, that’s who.

As Director of National Botanic Gardens Mathew and his family are resident in the gardens in a large townhouse just a minute’s walk from the main gates. The house is one of the last big houses left in the area and was built in 1740 by Thomas Tickell.

Matthew is a botanist who has worked at the National Botanic Gardens for 18 years and has been Director for the past four years. He studied as a taxonomist (biologist that groups organisms into categories) at Oxford University. He later lived in Papua New Guinea where he was involved in many collecting expeditions and the naming of numerous species.

He has written papers on various botany related topics, including climate change, coral reef ecology and wasp breeding behaviour. He reckons that plants are the most important organisms on the planet (agreed) but they remain essentially invisible to urbanised humans (hmmm).

Mathew will speak at Pecha Kucha Dublin on 22 April 7pm at The Grand Social. Other speakers include abgc architects, Anne Bedos (Rothar), Alex Milton (Director of Irish Design 2015), Broden Giambrone (TENI), Michael Hayes (2ha), Rosie O’Reily (Re-Dress), Anne Bedos (Rothar), Naoise Nunn (Cat Laughs Comedy Festival), Studio Red architects, Concrete Collar fashion blog and Colm O’Gorman (Amnesty International). MCing on the night is the ever reliable Ciaran O Gaora.

Wednesday 22 April, 7pm, The Grand Social. Tickets are available on the door for just €5.

Image: National Botanic Gardens