Curators & contacts

Paul Doughty is the Head of Science at the Western Australian Museum.

Nikolai is the Curator of Entomology. Nikolai researches the taxonomy and systematics of insects, focusing on Heteroptera (True Bugs), sexual selection and insect mating systems, and performs X-Ray microtomography of insects and other invertebrates.

Kenny is the Curator of Mammalogy (Mammals) and Acting Curator of Ornithology (birds). Kenny researches marsupial evolution, palaeontology and systematics, and the taxonomy of peramelemorphians (bandicoots and bilbies) and macropods (kangaroos and allies), as well as the past and present distribution of marsupials.

Brian is the Technical Officer, Entomology, and as part of this position is responsible for maintaining and organising the preserved and wet and dry collections of insects of around 500,000 dry specimens and estimated over 5,000,000 wet specimens.

Julianne is the Technical Officer, Arachnology and Myriapodology, and as part of this position researches the taxonomy of a genus of jumping spiders (Salticidae).

Dr Kailah Thorn is the Technical Officer – Terrestrial Vertebrates, and as part of this position researches the taxonomy and systematics of fossil lizards and snakes, primarily skinks, and the extinction and palaeoecology of Cenozoic vertebrate communities.

Peter is the Project Officer - Terrestrial Zoology, and as part of this position works on the systematics of subterranean pseudoscorpions.

Jeremy is the Research Associate - Arachnology, and as part of this position is involved in research including the revision of the Australian wishbone spiders (Aname), biogeography and evolutionary biology of the Australian wishbone spiders (Aname), systematics and evolution of Australian idiopids, and evolution of mygalomorph (trapdoor spiders) morphology and behaviour.

Arianna's responsibilities include managing the preserved wet and dry collections of terrestrial vertebrates and facilitating loans of WA Museum vertebrate skins, tissues, skeletons and whole organisms with other institutions.