Latin Londoner #36: Blanca Huertas, Senior Curator, Natural History Museum

Born in Bogotá, Blanca Huertas is Senior Curator of the Lepidoptera collections at the Natural History Museum. She is responsible for the direct care, development and access of the world’s largest and oldest collection of butterflies. Graduated in Biology in Colombia, Blanca moved to the UK to complete a MSc at Imperial College and a PhD at University College London. She coordinated several international expeditions and initiatives such as the Tropical Andean Butterfly Diversity Project, mostly focused on Papilionoidea' (butterflies). In Colombia, her work has contributed to the establishment of two national parks and five nature reserves and the discovery of more than a dozen new species for science. Blanca has published over 60 scientific articles and co-authored two books on insects. She is an advocate for female and BAME inclusion in science and is also a mother of a lovely boy.

by Amaranta Wright

My first memories are of my beautiful mum and playing with my brother and sisters, in my parents beautiful garden in Bogota, picking up cherries and peaches from the trees there and climbing them. I remember endless walks with my family, in the city and large parks around and on holidays in the field, always visiting forested areas.

I’ve inherited my father's determination and perseverant person, me too. My mum is a loving caring person, worried for everyone, me too.

The most influential figure in my life has been my university teacher Rodrigo Torres (Universidad Pedagogica de Bogota). He was the first to tell me: ‘Your deep interest in science can be more than a hobby, it can be a career’

I went to state schools and universities in Bogotá, where I completed a bachelor in Science and postgraduate in two public universities there (Pedagogica and Distrital). But specialised postgraduate courses in Colombia were very limited, so after completing my studies, I applied to Imperial College London, where I completed my Master in Sciences and then my Doctorate in Science in University College London. Shortly after, I was employed at the Natural History Museum, where I am the Senior Curator of the Lepidoptera collections (Butterflies and moths).

London is a city of contrasts. Culturally is very different to other European countries. It’s a beautiful place, but seems most people doesn’t enjoy it, as much as it has to offer. I still think that. I am impressed by how hard people works in the winter months!

I was very lonely when I first arrived. University was intense and I used to end up the day with a headache after too much concentration listening to a language is not yours. However, the bit of isolation and detachement at the start was important to fully inmerse myself in the english culture and its language.

I feel inspired to be one in a line of many who have put their lives working in a 200-year-old collection. The collections are a library of life, an endless source of information about the world with 5 million stories, in the form of butterflies, to learn about every day. I work in 'the mecca' of butterflies, so everyone in the world studying them visits the Natural History Museum collections at some point. It’s also inspiring to see how important the museum and the collections are for the public, the government and everyone.

In the UK there is an unconcious bias towards non-native English speakers and foreign accents in general. Opportunities are harder to come by when you speak differently to those employing you, no matter how long you are in a country. But harder still was being a young latina woman in the UK pursuing a career in Science.

Diversity is not just a biological thing that scientists study, it is an important aspect of our society. Latin Americans bring new characters, ideas and concepts that enriches UK culture. I’ve always found it useful to show the most valued things of my culture (for example working hard, always smile and keep positive) aswell as to get quickly embedded in the culture you are going to; showing the best of both worlds will open doors.

I have been stopped in the street so many times by people asking if I am from India, Dubai, Pakistan, etc but never Southamerica

Once I asked Brian May (Queen’s guitarrist) for a photo in the theatre. He was really nice and spent few minutes chatting with me about physics!

The kindest thing someone has done for me...are my friends accompanying me to hospital and wait hours and hours, endless hours…

My life is…Challenging, rewarding, hectic, happy.

My perfect Sunday…is a morning bike ride in the river Thames with my son and husband, a generous warm lunch after and a good rest and play in the afternoon.

When I miss home I go to my kitchen cupboard of treats from Colombia and…the Restaurant Don Carlos in Shepperd’s Bush

My favourite words in English are polite or charming

The words I most dislike in English are laboratory and drawers!

I would tell my younger self…'Be more confident in who you are'. Having a child is a good reminder that time doesn’t stop, so you should enjoy life at the time you can and not regret it after…