Oxford University Museum of Natural History is the historic home of scientific research at the University of Oxford.
For over 100 years, the Museum has hosted pioneering work including the palaeontological discoveries of William Buckland and John Phillips, as well as Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin’s experiments in X-ray crystallography, the only British woman to have received a Nobel Prize for scientific work.
Today, our researchers are leveraging the >7 million natural history specimens in the Museum to tackle some of society’s most pressing challenges from climate change to the biodiversity crisis. They ask how life has evolved and continues to evolve in the face of dynamic environmental changes. Their expertise stretches across earth sciences and evolutionary biology, with a specific strength in palaeobiology.
We partner with researchers in the University’s departments of Earth Sciences and Biology, with our researchers actively involved in specimen-based undergraduate teaching and supervision in both departments. We also maintain global academic partnerships and welcome international researcher visitors to work on our collections.
Oldest fossil cnidarian - Discovery of the oldest fossil cnidarian has changed our understanding of the timing of early animal evolution. Researcher: Dr Frankie Dunn.
A new dinosaur highway uncovered, documenting the behaviour of dinosaurs in extraordinary detail. Researchers: Dr Duncan Murdock and Dr Emma Nicholls.
Heritage, Culture and Society
Our current research interests include the history of the architecture and decorative interior history of the Museum; the origins of object-led geology teaching in the 19th-century university; the historical and modern significance of natural history cast collections; and the use of 3D models and replicas to enhance the visitor experience within museums.
