Our work

A beautiful scan of a wasp, showing its internal organs outlined in various neon colours on a balck background. Its eyes are picked out in blue, its body in orange, while its large feather-like wings are in bright yellow.

Museum scientists described 351 new species in 2022. The list of new species includes this minute parasitoid Megaphragma wasps. © Andrew Polaszek

Museum scientists are researching Earth's life and geology, using the collections and cutting-edge techniques.

Biodiversity

Creating molecular and digital tools to explore biodiversity.

Anthropocene and sustainability

Exploring new sources of food, predicting the spread of disease and finding scarce elements.

Discovery, origins and evolution

Studying our natural history specimens reveals the past, present and future of life, the solar system and Earth.

Digital collections

Digitising the 80 million specimens in the Museum's collections and providing open access to the digital data through our Data Portal.

Search for scientific staff

Find scientific staff based on research area.