O ur invertebrate paleontology lab is located within one of the most comprehensive research centers of paleontology in North America: the Florida Museum of Natural History, recognized internationally for research on fossil invertebrates, vertebrates, and plants. As a major and rapidly growing research-training center for the next generation of professional paleontologists, we invite you to learn more about our program.

Three research areas are central to our research group: (1) Conservation Paleobiology of aquatic benthic ecosystems; (2) Stratigraphic Paleobiology of marine deposystems; (3) Paleoecology and Taphonomy of the marine invertebrate fossil record.

Our research program includes onsite students, graduate and undergraduate, from multiple departments and programs (biology, geological sciences, and interdisciplinary ecology), interns, postdoctoral researchers, and visiting scholars. Externally funded projects and major endowments support high-impact research. Currently, our funding exceeds 1.2 million dollars in active grants, including multiple awards from the National Science Foundation.

Our actively growing catalogued fossil collections are managed by our Director of Collections, Roger Portell, aided by support staff, student assistants, and volunteers. Currently totaling over 6.5 million specimens, 3 million of which are fully curated, these holdings have an increasing presence in the digital world through our local online databases and connections to greater aggregated holdings of biodiversity data, including iDigBio. We are a major intellectual hub for research, global outreach, exhibits, citizen paleontology, and public and K-12 education.

Kowalewski Lab is generously supported by the Jon L. and Beverly A. Thompson Fund.