At Marischal College

The museum at Marischal College supported both teaching and research.

At the college, John Davidson built wooden models of plants and flowers for classroom demonstrations. Not long after arriving, he began attending classes and field trips led by Professor James William Helenus Trail (1851–1919), dean of the faculty of science.

As Davidson learned more about plants, he acted as a demonstrator in practical botany classes for medical students and assisted in museum and laboratory research work. He learned how to use a microscope, and became a cyclist and a skilled photographer.

He also became a popular demonstrator of theatrical chemistry and electromagnetism experiments. In 1897, the assistant professor who looked after the museum, A. T. Gage, left for a posting in India. As a result, at the age of 19, the talented John Davidson stepped into this vacancy, taking full charge of the museum.