Zoology

Zoology research

World Museum's vertebrate, insect and other invertebrate collections form a regionally, nationally and internationally significant research collection and we welcome enquiries.

Our work

Our own staff research is directed by the needs of the collections and contributes to their development. It forms part of a balanced programme covering collection management, exhibition, outreach and learning activities. Research explores the significance of existing collections, uses the collection as a reference tool and builds contemporary collections through fieldwork. Current zoology research embraces taxonomic studies, biodiversity and conservation management projects and historical investigations.

Research projects

• Taxonomic and systematic investigations into the variety of past and present life. Describing and naming of new species, producing monographs and other revisionary work defining species.
  
• Biodiversity and conservation management. Research areas include British caddis, British bees, wasps and ants, African reptiles and amphibians, Australian birds and mammals and Palaearctic true bugs and sawflies.
  
• Historical investigation correlating specimens with people, places, events and theories. Includes the investigation of pioneering naturalists and other scientists and analysing data associated with their specimens, such as the history of 19th century natural history collecting.

You can visit our staff profiles to see our specific areas of interest and some of our recent publications are listed below.

Publications

• Download a list of publications from the zoology department. [Word document, 148 kb]