Fieldwork

Our scientists have been making observations and collecting data and specimens from a range of environments for nearly 200 years. Learn about our scientist's fieldwork here.

Updated

12/10/22

Undertaking fieldwork is core business for the Australian Museum, and has been for nearly 200 years. Our scientists make observations and collect data to better understand our biodiversity, cultures and people. Learn more about the fieldwork undertaken by our scientists below.

Related blogs

Fish Fieldwork

Expeditions and fieldwork of the Ichthyology team

Image of rainforests in Northeast NSW. Photographer: Chris Reid

The hunt for the not-so-elusive dung beetle

Last month, Dr Chris Reid and Aidan Runagall-McNaull arrived in Northeast NSW to determine the impacts of the 2019-20 bushfires on dung beetle populations. Now nearing the end of their fieldwork, there is some good news to report.

13 April 2021

The discovery of an exceptional new fossil site offers a glimpse into Australia’s ancient rainforests

New fossil site offers unprecedented insight into Australian landscape, approximately 15 million years ago.

10 January 2022

The Upside-down jellyfish (Cassiopea sp.) swimming in seagrass in Lake Macquarie, NSW in 2019.

Putting things the right way around: Identification and distribution of upside-down jellyfish

An AMF/AMRI Postgraduate award helped PhD student, Claire Rowe, provide answers on why upside-down jellyfish have recently appeared in Lake Macquarie, NSW. The search for answers led her to the Gold and Sunshine Coasts in Queensland.

8 July 2021

CSIRO research vessel Investigator at Fort Hill Wharf, Darwin, 27 June 2021.

All hands-on deck to discover the secrets of the Indian Ocean Territories

Five personnel from the Australian Museum Research Institute have embarked with a team of research scientists from around Australia on an expedition to explore deep-sea marine life around the Indian Ocean Territories.

1 July 2021

The Beam Trawl emerges from the deep – what will it bring up?

The quest for deep sea critters

Although the recent Indian Ocean Territories expedition has been suspended, we found many fascinating deep sea animals during our 19 days at sea. Dr Ingo Burghardt, AMRI scientist on board the CSIRO research vessel Investigator, shares the latest findings.

28 July 2021

Islands in the sky: sampling the fauna of Coolah Tops

A recent Australian Museum Expedition to Coolah Tops found a diverse and intriguing fauna.

Land snails living under a dead log in the Gondwanan Rainforests of NSW.

Looking beyond the headlines: How did snails fare in the 2019-2020 bushfires?

A new study by Australian Museum researchers sheds light on the impacts of the 2019-2020 wildfires on land snails in north-eastern NSW.

15 June 2022

What do you call one of the world’s most beautiful frogs?

Are some spectacular tree frogs from China and Vietnam two, remarkably similar species, or only one? An international team of herpetologists, including the AM’s Dr Jodi Rowley, solves this mystery once and for all!

5 November 2021

Natural Sciences collection areas

Discover the AM's extensive collections and research areas, including the name-bearing type specimens held at the Museum.

Why we collect
Research areas

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Cultural collections

Learn about First Nations cultural material in our collections and our engagement with communities to activate stories of living culture.

First Nations
Pacific
World Cultures

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Museum Archives and Research Library

The Museum Archives and Research Library cares for the Museum’s institutional memory and its historic natural history book and journal collections dating from 1836.

History of the Museum
Archives
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Collection Care and Conservation

We specialise in the preservation of archaeological and cultural objects, rare books and archives, and biology and geology collections. Respect for communities’ cultural property are always a major factor in our decisions.

Preventive conservation
Treatment programs

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