N ATURAL H ISTORY M USEUM

KEY METRICS

No. of Professors 5

No. of Associate Professors 5

No. of Professor II

No. of Emeritus Professors 1

No. of Doctoral students: current 1 No. of PhD students graduated 2007-2009 3 No. of MSc Students graduated 2007-2009

No. of Postdoctoral Research Fellows 1 No. of Non-tenured Researchers

No. of Technical/Admin. Staff members 5

Research Groups GRADE

1. Palaeontology/Stratigraphy 3/4

2. Mineralogy/Petrology 3

The Natural History Museum (NHM) is part of the University of Oslo and was established as an independent unit at the University in 1999. Before 1999 there were two separate museums

of Geology and Paleontology. Since 2009 the research staff, both biologists and geologists, have been organised in a common ”Department of Research & Collections”, comprising some 45 researchers in total. The geologists (11 academic staff) are divided into two research groups in Paleontology/Stratigraphy and Mineralogy. Only the staff in these two groups were considered as part of this review.

Following the formation of the new Department of Geosciences within the University in 2003, a clear delineation was made between the geoscience activities within the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences and those of the Geological Museum. The internationally-leading petrology and isotope geology groups from the NHM moved to the Department of Geosciences. This process had a damaging effect on the morale of the Museum staff remaining in mineralogy, petrology and geochemistry. An agreement exists to maintain complementary research activities in the Museum and the Department of Geosciences.

The Museum is housed in an historical (1915) building which is in need of renovation. The Evaluation Committee was made aware of plans for refurbishment and some new

construction.

There are ambitious plans to develop the Paleontology group into a National Centre of Paleontology, focusing on the Arctic. NHM currently hosts the largest paleontology research group in Norway and has unique laboratory facilities for the preparation of macrofossils. The future of micropaleontology research at the Museum is currently under discussion with the Department of Geosciences at the University.

Future research in mineralogy/petrology will be collection-based and focused on systematic mineralogy, ore geology and the interface with materials science. NHM has recently taken over an experimental high-pressure high-temperature research facility previously located at the University of Tromsø. This facility is currently the only one of its kind in the Nordic countries.

In general, staff have low teaching loads; however, this is partly compensated by responsibilities for the museum collections and outreach activities.

Publication rates are average with relatively low citations.

4.2.2.1 Paleontology/Stratigraphy

The group currently consists of 3 Professors (1 of whom is 40%), 3 Associate Professors (1 of whom is 50%), 1 Professor II, 1 Postdoctoral fellow and 1 PhD student. 2 PhD students have graduated since 2007.

The long-term vision of the group is to become a national centre in macropaleontology with a focus on studying the fossils, sedimentology and sediment chemistry from

Jurassic/Cretaceous sections on Svalbard, where the group has collected many partial and some spectacular complete skeletons of ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs during a National Geographic sponsored expedition (which will be published and shown on TV in April 2011).

This locality clearly provides an exciting opportunity for scientific research of the highest quality, as well as important exhibits for the museum. This project has strong industry support (including Statoil/Hydro, ExxonMobil, NPD, Fugro).

Previously the world-class strengths of the group were in micropaleontology; this area of research is now likely to be much reduced following retirements of key staff.

ASSESSMENT& GRADING

The overall publication and citation levels of the Paleontology/Stratigraphy group are good;

however, publication activity has been dominantly supported by the micropaleontologists.

The preparation of several tens of ichthyosaur and plesiosaur skeletons is a huge undertaking logistically, even after the large investment needed for the field operations (supported by National Geographic), providing full-time work for several preparators for several years. The preparation work has in part been done by volunteers, but there are limits to what volunteers can do and professional knowledge is required in order to enable later precise scientific description. In order to conform to international standards of research, expensive 3D CT scanning is required. In order to place the vertebrates within a reconstructed environment (e.g. estimates of paleotemperature, salinity), cooperation is needed with specialists in the various invertebrates present in the formations where the vertrebrates are found, as well as detailed sedimentological, biomarker, stable isotope and trace element studies of the sediments and fossils.

It is probable that although this ambitious project is well suited for museum paleontologists, there is not sufficient staff or funding to guarantee a strong set of publications, or to develop up-to-date, world class exhibits of the type presently shown in such places as the Natural History museums in London and New York and the Smithsonian Museum. Consequently more extended collaboration is required with colleagues outside of Norway, in addition to a need for more funding for the Museum.

The museum database of fossils is in good shape, but needs more work because images of all type material are not yet available. In addition, the database is not linked to the Paleobiology Database (http://www.paleodb.org), the recognised standard for international cooperation in paleontology. The researchers should aim to include the NMH collection as soon as possible to make their important historical collection accessible to international researchers, and thus gain more international visibility.

Overall Grade:3/4 RECOMMENDATIONS

Careful consideration needs to be given to the future of micropaleontology research in

general at the University of Oslo. Will the core activity in future be located in the Department of Geosciences rather than at the Museum?

The ichthyosaur research will need careful strategic planning and adequate resourcing to ensure that the preparation and preservation of key specimens does not take too many years to complete. There also needs to be increased national and international collaboration with invertebrate paleontologists and paleoclimate researchers with a geochemical background in order to provide the paleoenvironmental information needed to develop a modern,

educationally and scientifically exciting, museum exhibit, as well as to publish their work in leading international journals.

The researchers should aim to attract more graduate students, possibly in cooperation with staff at other universities.

4.2.2.2 Mineralogy/Petrology

The group currently consists of 2 Professors, 2 Associate Professors and 1 Postdoctoral fellow. 1 PhD student has graduated since 2007.

ASSESSMENT& GRADING

The group underwent major reorganization in 2008 when scientific and technical personnel and equipment were transferred to the University of Oslo. According to the self-evaluation, this reorganisation was the most recent phase in a 30 year-long debate, and the

Mineralogy/Petrology group has not yet recovered from it. Two professors have left, although new hires have been made.

The research strategy of the group and its vision for long-term development are unclear.

Recently, a high-pressure, high-temperature experimental facility (piston-cylinder), acquired from the University of Tromsø, has been installed and there are ambitious plans to develop a program of experimental petrology research in Norway. The group proposes to collaborate with the new CoECentre for Earth Evolution and Dynamics(CEED) at the University of Oslo in research in computational mineral physics, and with an international group of collaborators (Clermont-Ferrand, Grenoble, ETH Zurich). There is a proposed emphasis on the synthesis and characterisation of minerals and inorganic substances of interest for various industries. The development of this new laboratory appears to go against the latest

reorganisation in which research equipment and personnel were transferred from the Museum to the Department of Geosciences. The role in the Museum of such a specialised, high-tech, high-cost laboratory facility is not evident; the rationale for its use in supporting the museum exhibits appears weak.

The publication outputs of this group as a whole is rather low, with relatively low citations.

OVERALLGRADE:3 RECOMMENDATIONS

This group undoubtedly remains below critical mass. It needs to develop a realistic strategy for research in mineralogy and petrology in collaboration with the Department of

Geosciences. Both groups lack critical mass which is of concern for the future health of the subject in Norway, particularly given the recent resurgence of interest internationally in economic mineral deposits (e.g. REE metals).

The experimental petrology laboratory will need to be adequately funded if it is to succeed, with appropriate technical support.