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| Australasian Palaeontological Society | |
|---|---|
| Name | Australasian Palaeontological Society |
| Formation | 1974 |
| Type | Learned society |
| Headquarters | Melbourne, Victoria |
| Region served | Australia and New Zealand |
| Leader title | President |
Australasian Palaeontological Society is a regional learned society dedicated to the study of fossil organisms, stratigraphy, and palaeoenvironments in Australasia. The society connects researchers, curators, and educators across Australia, New Zealand, and neighboring Pacific islands, fostering collaboration among institutions such as the Australian Museum, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, and Monash University. It engages with international bodies including the Paleontological Society, Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, and International Palaeontological Association to integrate Australasian research into global palaeontological discourse.
The society was founded in the 1970s amid expanding collections growth at institutions like the Australian Museum, British Museum (Natural History), and Canterbury Museum, reflecting parallel developments at universities such as the University of Melbourne, University of Sydney, University of Adelaide, and Victoria University of Wellington. Early milestones involved collaborations with researchers affiliated with the CSIRO, Geological Survey of New South Wales, and New Zealand Geological Survey, and exchanges with scholars from the Smithsonian Institution, Natural History Museum, and Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle. Over decades the society has tracked shifts linked to field programs near the Naracoorte Caves, Ediacara Hills, Lake Tanganyika comparisons, and Antarctic expeditions coordinated with the Australian Antarctic Division and Scott Polar Research Institute.
Membership draws from paleontologists, geologists, museum curators, and students at institutions including the University of Queensland, University of Otago, James Cook University, and the University of Western Australia, as well as staff from Te Papa, Queensland Museum, Western Australian Museum, and Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. The governance model features an elected council with offices such as President, Secretary, and Treasurer, analogous to arrangements at the Royal Society of New Zealand, Linnean Society, and Geological Society of London; specialist sections mirror thematic groups found in the Paleontological Society, Palaeontological Association, and European Association of Vertebrate Palaeontologists. Membership categories accommodate Fellows, Ordinary Members, Students, and Institutional Subscribers, with liaison roles established for collaboration with the Australian Academy of Science and New Zealand Royal Society Te Apārangi.
The society runs field excursions to type localities and fossil sites such as the Gawler Ranges, Flinders Ranges, Canning Basin, and Chatham Islands, often in partnership with the Geological Heritage programs of UNESCO and the IUGS. It supports research networks focused on topics ranging from Cambrian biotas and Mesozoic vertebrates to Cenozoic megafauna, aligning with projects at institutions like the University of New England, Macquarie University, and Curtin University. Collaborative initiatives have included joint symposia with the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, Australasian Quaternary Association, and International Bryozoology Association, and training workshops in geochronology alongside staff from ANSTO and Geoscience Australia.
The society publishes bulletins and memoirs that disseminate monographs, faunal lists, and stratigraphic syntheses, complementing journals such as Alcheringa, Journal of Paleontology, Palaeontology, and Geological Magazine. Newsletters provide updates on activities and job listings and are circulated to members and partner organizations including the Paleontological Research Institution, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, and Royal Society Publishing. Digital presence includes a website hosting event archives and links to institutional repositories at Trove, ResearchGate, and university presses such as Cambridge University Press and Oxford University Press.
Biennial meetings rotate among host institutions like the University of Western Australia, University of Tasmania, University of Canterbury, and Flinders University, often coordinated with specialty meetings held jointly with the International Palaeontological Association, Australasian Meetings of the Society of Systematic Biologists, and the Australian Earth Sciences Convention. Conferences feature plenaries by invited speakers from institutions such as Harvard University, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, and the Max Planck Institute, and include workshops on techniques used at facilities like the Australian Synchrotron and the Natural History Museum, London.
The society administers awards for excellence in paleontology comparable to honors from the Paleontological Society and Geological Society of America, offering travel grants, student prizes, and research fellowships that support work at museums and universities including the Australian National University, University of Sydney, and University of Auckland. Competitive grants have funded fieldwork to sites linked to iconic taxa described by researchers at institutions such as the American Museum of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, and have enabled collaborations with funding bodies like the Australian Research Council and Marsden Fund.
Education and outreach programs engage schools, community museums, and public events in partnership with organizations such as the Australian Museum, Te Papa, State Library of New South Wales, and National Science Week. Initiatives include fossil handling sessions, exhibitions on taxa comparable to Megalania, Moa, Thylacoleo carnifex, and Winton Formation displays, as well as citizen science projects modeled on programs at the Natural History Museum, London, and the Smithsonian Institution. The society contributes to policy dialogues on heritage protection with agencies such as the Australian Heritage Council and local councils, and promotes professional development through workshops in collaboration with the International Union of Geological Sciences, World Palaeontological Congress, and regional museums.
Category:Learned societies of Australia Category:Paleontology organizations