Research themes

Understanding why environmental change increases our exposure to parasites, pollutants and pathogens.

Human-induced environmental change is altering our relationships with nature. This increases our exposure to parasites, pollutants and pathogens, some of which are novel, like COVID-19. Our collections provide unique insights into how and why these relationships are changing and the implications for human and animal health. By unlocking our specimens and continuing to build tissue collections, our research could improve the health of millions of people.

Understanding how and why biodiversity is changing so we can halt and reverse its decline.

Human-induced biodiversity loss and climate change threaten the well-being of current and future generations. We need to improve our understanding of how and why biodiversity is changing so that we can find solutions to help its recovery. 

Using information from our collections, we can learn more about past and ongoing biodiversity change to help predict and mitigate future change. This knowledge allows us to support nature's recovery and work with others to build a better future where both people and the planet can thrive.

Exploring the changing narratives at the interface of natural history collections, science and societies.

Tackling our environmental crises requires understanding and engaging with human culture just as much as the natural world. We bring interdisciplinary perspectives to our world-leading collections and in addressing the planetary emergency.

Our collections are products of nature and culture and represent the human labour of finding, collecting, categorising and curating the natural world. They are a valuable record of the intricate relationships between people, the Earth they inhabit, and other animals and plants.

This theme takes forward the task of acknowledging that the Museum and the science it represents have been shaped by the forces of history, including the history of empire. A wide range of people and cultures were impacted by and involved in generating the collections, past and present, and not all those stories are known or yet told.

Collaborating with the public to enhance data collection and scientific research.

Answering questions about climate change and the diversity of life requires a lot of data that our researchers can’t gather alone. We work to enhance scientific research through collaboration with diverse public audiences to act on environmental issues.

By recording observations of wildlife, collecting samples, recording audio in local areas or transcribing handwritten records, citizen scientists can help us unlock the potential of our collections and gather vital data to better understand the natural world.

Digitisation and harnessing new technologies to increase access to natural history collection data.

We are leading the way in transforming the digital management of natural history collections through digitisation and applying new technologies, such as machine learning, to increase the information we share about the natural world. Unlocking these data provides important baselines for the state of nature. It is vital in uncovering the origins and evolution of diseases, tracking biodiversity changes and forecasting solutions for people and the planet.

We play a leading role in the innovation of new practices, techniques and standards worldwide. By representing the Museum nationally and internationally to share expertise, our ambition is not just to digitise the Museum’s collection but to have a connected collection across the UK, Europe and the world to share our vital data with those that can solve the biggest problems that face humanity today.

Understanding and describing species by looking at their genetic makeup.

The advancement of DNA sequencing technology has given scientists an entirely new way to monitor nature and understand biodiversity.

As well as whole genome sequencing from newly collected specimens, we can use tiny samples of DNA from the environment to monitor wildlife. This technology allows researchers to build a more detailed image of which species live in a region than by identifying them on sight.

Ancient DNA technology has also made rapid advances over the past decade. These techniques, typically used for studying woolly mammoths and ancient humans, can now be applied to the wide range of specimens that have been in our collections for hundreds of years.

Furthering these pioneering techniques and sequencing our collections will transform the study of natural history, enable us to provide genomic access at an unprecedented scale and act as a reference library for life in a genomic world.

Developing sustainable solutions for achieving net zero and food security.

We are exploring new approaches to harnessing the planet's natural resources and developing nature-positive solutions for a net zero society.

Mines deliver essential metals needed for the energy transition to renewable sources that will help humanity halt and reverse climate change. However, mining can damage both ecosystems and communities. We are working with the Department for Farming and Rural Affairs on projects that work with local communities to create biodiversity-positive mining.

We are also mapping the distribution of wild species of food plants and the insects that pollinate them to help plant breeders prepare crops for the future. Using DNA sequencing technologies to examine soil biodiversity, scientists can understand how microbes interact with soil minerals to make nutrients available for crop plants.