![Close up image of a colourful butterfly wing with black splotches](/sites/default/files/styles/large_/public/2024-07/wong_wam_entomology_042_res3.png?h=edd77782&itok=qPAvBupX)
Curators & contacts
About our curators
![Dr Paul Doughty](/sites/default/files/styles/medium_crop/public/2021-06/Paul%20Doughty_TZ_13082018%20%284%29.jpg?h=fee4874d&itok=Kcxlv0iN)
Paul Doughty
Head of Science
Paul Doughty is the Head of Science at the Western Australian Museum.
![A person with short hair wearing glasses and a dark jumper sits in a science laboratory, next to a microscope.](/sites/default/files/styles/medium_crop/public/2024-06/MarkHarvey.jpg?h=af76b5b1&itok=maFMcWkP)
Mark Harvey
Curator
Mark is the Curator - Arachnids and Myriapods. Mark researches the systematics and taxonomy of arachnids and myriapods. To date, he has described nearly 900 new species and more than 90 new genera.
![A person wearing a dark shirt sucking bugs from a tree branch through tubing in the Amazon rainforest](/sites/default/files/styles/medium_crop/public/2024-06/NikolaiTatarnic_Sucking%20bugs%20in%20the%20Amazon.jpg?h=598809fd&itok=K-xrqcs8)
Nikolai Tatarnic
Curator
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.
![A person wearing a white coat sitting at a desk in a science lab filling out paperwork. Several large jars filled with various specimens also sit on the desktop.](/sites/default/files/styles/medium_crop/public/2024-06/Kenny%20Travouillon.jpg?h=fd24284c&itok=ztH-vbfD)
Kenny Travouillon
Curator
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 Hanich
Technical Officer
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.
![A long stretch of red dirt road beneath a blue sky with white fluffy clouds. Shrubby bushes and purple flowers line the sides of the road.](/sites/default/files/styles/medium_crop/public/2024-06/Red%20Dirt%20Road%20Western%20Australia.jpg?h=af76b5b1&itok=idcbENEf)
Julianne Waldock
Technical Officer
Julianne is the Technical Officer, Arachnology and Myriapodology, and as part of this position researches the taxonomy of a genus of jumping spiders (Salticidae).
![An image of a person wearing sunglasses and a dark jumper, holding a lizard in the Australian desert, beneath a blue sky](/sites/default/files/styles/medium_crop/public/2024-06/Kailah-Thorn_0.jpg?h=fd24284c&itok=uQRLCrpU)
Dr Kailah Thorn
Technical Officer
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.
![A person wearing glasses and a light blue shirt smiles at the camera, sitting beside a microscope](/sites/default/files/styles/medium_crop/public/2024-06/Peter_Middlefart_TZ_Profile.jpeg?h=fd24284c&itok=1ZowOLpM)
Peter Middelfart
Project Officer
Peter is the Project Officer - Terrestrial Zoology, and as part of this position works on the systematics of subterranean pseudoscorpions.
![A person with dark hair stands in the bush, wearing a khaki shirt.](/sites/default/files/styles/medium_crop/public/2024-06/Photo%20in%20field%20-%20Jeremy%20Wilson%202023.jpg?h=fd24284c&itok=CWu_2Mkg)
Jeremy Wilson
Research Associate
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.
![A close up image of a person holding a lizard](/sites/default/files/styles/medium_crop/public/2024-08/AriannaUrso.jpg?h=a81c815d&itok=Bp32QvgN)
Arianna Urso
Technical Officer
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.
phone_iphone