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Robert Cameron developed his interest in snails as a student, and has followed it ever since. His PhD concerned the remarkable shell variation in the Cepaea snails; this has been a lifelong interest, and involved him in the Evolution MegaLab to commemorate Darwin Year (2009). But he has also been interested in the snail fauna of many places, and in collaboration with colleagues he has worked in many European countries, in Canada, Australia and on Madeira and the Azores. He has been an author of more than a hundred papers on snails, and is author of recently published  Slugs and Snails in the New Naturalist Series, aimed at general naturalists.

Mary Seddon is the Chair of the IUCN SSC Mollusc Specialist Group. The group provides expertise on the conservation of mollusc and access to expertise worldwide on conservation issues, with focus on mollusca. Major projects include IUCN European project, IUCN Pan African project, IUCN Global Freshwater Assessment as well as Conus Assessments, Cephalopod assessments and other smaller assessment projects. Advice on CITES species of Mollusca. Climate Change issues and Mollusca. Mary is also one of the contributors of the European Red List of Freshwater Molluscs.

Kelly Robinson is a freelance writer and researcher with particular interests in obscure literature, weird history, and silent film. Her bylines appear in magazines such as Rue Morgue, Smithsonian, History, and Mental Floss. Her writing on film was nominated for a Rondo Hatton Award for excellence in classic horror research. She has produced and hosted eclectic events from underground theatre to an international conference on Jack the Ripper, and is the founder and host of Knoxferatu, a silent horror film event in Knoxville, TN. She is currently researching and writing a book on lost horror films from the silent era and beyond, and recently gave a presentation on lost horror silents at the Library of Congress' Mostly Lost film workshop.

Her blog:

Dawn Ades is a Fellow of the British Academy, a former trustee of Tate, Professor of the History of Art at the Royal Academy and was awarded a CBE in 2013 for her services to art history. She has been responsible for some of the most important exhibitions in London and overseas over the past thirty years, including Dada and Surrealism Reviewed, Art in Latin America and Francis Bacon. Most recently she organised the highly successful exhibition to celebrate the centenary of Salvador Dalí at the Palazzo Grassi in Venice (2004) The Colour of my Dreams: The Surrealist Revolution in Art, at the Vancouver Art Gallery (2011), and was Associate Curator for Manifesta 9 (2012) . She has published standard works on photomontage, Dada, Surrealism, women artists and Mexican muralists. Dawn is now partially retired but continues to supervise PhD students.

Dawn is Co-curator of a forthcoming exhibition about Dali and  Duchamp at the Royal Academy which runs from 7 October 2017 – 3 January 2018.

Neil Riseborough is snail master at the World Snail Racing Championships which are held every year in Congham in Norfolk and organised by Hilary Scase.  This year’s champion was a snail called Larry owned by Tara Beasley from Castle Acre near Swaffham. His time was 2 minutes 47 seconds.

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