Oxford University Museum of Natural History has been a centre of world-leading research and scientific debate since it opened in 1860. The Museum was the location for the 'Great Debate' of 1860 between Samuel Wilberforce and Thomas Huxley, and was also host to Nobel prize-winning research on the molecular structure of insulin, penicillin, and vitamin B12 by Dorothy Hodgkin.
Our research aims to unravel the pattern and process underlying the origin and early evolution of major animal groups, the evolution of body plans, and the assembly of complex metazoan-dominated ecosystems.
Our researchers use a combination of systematics, ecology, physiology, biogeography, developmental biology and behaviour of both extant and fossil arthropods to shed light on evolutionary trends across the group.
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.
