{{Short description|British evolutionary biologist}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} '''Paul Martin Brakefield''' FRS (born 31 May 1952) is a British evolutionary biologist who was Professor of Zoology at the University of Cambridge, where he is also was Fellow of Trinity College and between 2010 and 2019 was director of the Museum of Zoology. He previously held the Chair in Evolutionary Biology at Leiden University in the Netherlands, and was President of the Linnean Society of London from 2015 to 2018. He is best known for his research on butterfly eyespots.
==Career== Brakefield was born on 31 May 1952 in Woking.<ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://hoogleraren.leidenuniv.nl/id/303 |title=Paul Martin Brakefield |language=Dutch |publisher=Leiden University |date= |access-date=7 January 2017}}</ref> In 1987 Brakefield became a Professor of Evolutionary Biology at Leiden University.<ref name=mare>{{cite web |author= |url=http://www.mareonline.nl/artikel/0910/32/03/ |title=Weemoedig weg van de papierwinkel |language=Dutch |publisher=MARE Online |date=3 June 2010 |access-date=24 January 2016 |archive-date=16 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221116034641/https://www.mareonline.nl/artikel/0910/32/03/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Concurrently Brakefield was president of the European Society for Evolutionary Biology between 2005 and 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://eseb.org/society/officers/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251109214028/https://eseb.org/society/officers/ |title=ESEB Officers |language=en |publisher=European Society for Evolutionary Biology |date= |archive-date=9 November 2025}}</ref> In 2010 he left Leiden after serving as a professor for 23 years to become director of the Cambridge University Museum of Zoology.<ref name=mare/> In 2011, Brakefield was elected a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge.<ref>{{cite web |author= |url=http://www.trin.cam.ac.uk/node/1223 |title=The Fellowship |publisher=Trinity College Cambridge |date= |access-date=24 January 2016 |archive-date=30 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160130214549/http://www.trin.cam.ac.uk/node/1223 |url-status=dead }}</ref> On 22 May 2015 Brakefield became President of the Linnean Society of London, serving until May 2018.<ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://www.linnean.org/The-Society/governance |title=Governance of the Society |publisher=Linnean Society of London |date= |access-date=24 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.linnean.org/The-Society/governance/ourpresident|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130124071847/http://www.linnean.org/The-Society/governance/ourpresident|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 January 2013|title=President of the Linnean Society Professor Paul M. Brakefield FRS|publisher=Linnean Society of London|access-date=24 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author= |url=https://www.linnean.org/the-society/governance/past-presidents-of-the-linnean-society |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418121852/https://www.linnean.org/the-society/governance/past-presidents-of-the-linnean-society |title=Past Presidents of the Linnean Society |publisher=Linnean Society |date= |archive-date=18 April 2020}}</ref> In 2019 Brakefield retired. He was succeeded as director of the museum by Rebecca Kilner.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/about-us/history |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251009055011/https://www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/about-us/history |title=History of the Department |language=en |publisher=University of Cambridge - Department of Zoology |date= |archive-date=9 October 2025}}</ref>
==Research== Brakefield works mostly with butterflies and insects. Amongst other topics his research focuses on eyespots on butterflies, especially ''Bicyclus anynana''.<ref name=mare/><ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/directory/paul-brakefield |title=Professor Paul Brakefield FRS |publisher=University of Cambridge |date= 12 June 2013|access-date=24 January 2016}}</ref> The butterfly species ''Bicyclus brakefieldi'' is named after him.
==Honours and awards== Brakefield was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 2010.<ref name=royalsociety>{{cite web|author= |url=https://royalsociety.org/people/paul-brakefield-11129/ |title=Paul Brakefield |publisher=The Royal Society |date= |access-date=24 January 2016}}</ref> He was elected a foreign member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2011.<ref>{{cite web |author= |url=https://www.knaw.nl/en/members/foreign-members/11677?set_language=en |title=Paul Brakefield |publisher=Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences |date= |access-date=24 January 2016 |archive-date=9 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170109020945/https://www.knaw.nl/en/members/foreign-members/11677?set_language=en |url-status=dead }}</ref> Brakefield was elected a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization in 2014.<ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://people.embo.org/profile/paul-brakefield |title=Paul Brakefield |publisher=European Molecular Biology Organization |date= |access-date=8 January 2017}}</ref> In 2018 Brakefield was elected an honorary fellow of the Royal Entomological Society.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.royensoc.co.uk/about-us/people/professor-paul-brakefield-hon-fres/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250906050914/https://www.royensoc.co.uk/about-us/people/professor-paul-brakefield-hon-fres/ |title=Professor Paul Brakefield Hon.FRES |language=en |publisher=Royal Entomological Society |date= |archive-date=6 September 2025}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{FRS 2010}} {{Presidents of the Linnean Society of London}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brakefield, Paul}} Category:1952 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century British zoologists Category:21st-century British zoologists Category:British evolutionary biologists Category:Academic staff of Leiden University Category:British fellows of the Royal Society Category:Fellows of the Royal Entomological Society Category:Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge Category:Members of the European Molecular Biology Organization Category:Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences Category:Presidents of the Linnean Society of London Category:People from Woking