Museum Victoria conducts research in both invertebrate palaeontology (creatures lacking a backbone, such as arthropods, bryozoans, coelenterates, echinoderms and molluscs) and vertebrate palaeontology (backboned animals ranging from fishes to mammals).
Invertebrate Palaeontology Research
The principal areas of research in Invertebrate Palaeontology are:
- Trilobites, mainly from the Silurian and Lower Devonian, carried out by Dr David Holloway (Senior Curator of Invertebrate Palaeontology).
- Tertiary bryozoans, carried out by Dr Rolf Schmidt (Collection Manager, Invertebrate Palaeontology).
- Tertiary molluscs, carried out by Dr Thomas Darragh (Curator Emeritus).
Vertebrate Palaeontology Research
The principal areas of research are:
- Cretaceous dinosaurs and mammals from the southern coast of Victoria and the evolution of mammals in general, carried out by Dr Thomas Rich, Senior Curator of Vertebrate Palaeontology.
- Cenozoic marine mammals, particularly marine mammal evolution, carried out by Dr Erich Fitzgerald, Senior Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology.