Access the collections

Research access to the fossil collections in Tanzania

The Olduvai collection is currently housed in two museums, both under the National Museum of Tanzania.

Most of the collections collected by the Leakeys and Institute of Human Origins are curated in the National Museum and House of Culture, Dar es Salaam, formerly the National Museum of Tanzania.

The rest of the collection, including hominins excavated by OLAPP, OGAP and OVPP are curated at the National Natural History Museum in Arusha. For further information contact the Director, National Natural History Museum, Boma Rd. P. O. Box 2160, Arusha. Email: naturalhistory@nmt.go.tz

Steps for obtaining research permits

  1. Contact the Tanzanian Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) for Research Clearance.

    COSTECH Building
    P.O. Box 4302
    Ali Hassan Mwinyi Road
    Dar es Salaam, Tanzania,
    Tel: +255-22-2700745/46
    Fax: +255-22-2775313/4,
    Email: rclearance@costech.or.tz
    http://www.costech.or.tz/

  2. Contact the Director General of the National Museum of Tanzania

    P.O. Box 511
    Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
    Email: dg@nmt.go.tz

Research access to the fossil collections outside Tanzania

Collections are also housed in various repositories outside Tanzania.

Collections housed at the Bayerische Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und Geologie (BSPG) in Munich, Germany can be accessed using the following contact information:

  • Steps for obtaining research permits

Contact PD Dr. Gertrud Rössner, Curator of Fossil Mammals
Bavarian State Collections of Palaeontology and Geology
Bayerische Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und Geologie (BSPG)
Richard-Wagner-Str. 10, D-80333
München, Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 89 2180-6609
Fax: +49 (0) 89 2130-6601

Collections housed at the Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung in Berlin, Germany can be accessed using the following contact information:

  • Steps for obtaining research permits

Contact PD Dr. Oliver Hampe, Head of Vertebrate Palaeontology
Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions-und Biodiversitätsforschung
An der Humboldt-Universität zu, Berlin, Invalidenstraße 43 DE-10115
Berlin, Germany
Phone: +49 (30) 2093 – 8678
Fax: +49 (30) 2093 – 8868
Email: oliver.hampe@mfn-berlin.de

Collections housed at the Natural History Museum in London, U.K. can be accessed using the following contact information:

  • Steps for obtaining research permits

For fossil mammals (excluding primates):

Contact Pip Brewer, Curator of Fossil Mammals
Department of Earth Sciences
Natural History Museum (NHMUK)
Cromwell Road
SW7 5BD London
United Kingdom
Phone: +44 0207 942 5436
Email: p.brewer@nhm.ac.uk

For fossil primates:

Contact Robert Kruszynski, Curator of Fossil Primates
Department of Earth Sciences, Vertebrates and Anthropology Paleobiology
Natural History Museum (NHMUK)
Cromwell Road
SW7 5BD London
United Kingdom
Phone: +44 0207 942 5012
Email: r.kruszynski@nhm.ac.uk

For fossil amphibians, reptiles, and birds:

Contact Sandra D. Chapman, Curator of Fossil Amphibians, Reptiles, & Birds
Department of Earth Sciences
Natural History Museum (NHMUK)
Cromwell Road
SW7 5BD London
United Kingdom
Phone: +44 0207 942 5713
Email: s.chapman@nhm.ac.uk
 
Contact Lorna Steel, Curator of Fossil Crocodylomorpha and Pterosauria
Department of Earth Sciences
Natural History Museum (NHMUK)
Cromwell Road
SW7 5BD London
United Kingdom
Phone: +44 0207 942 5058
Email: l.steel@nhm.ac.uk

 

Collections housed at the University of California Museum of Paleontology in Berkeley, U.S.A. can be accessed using the following contact information:

  • Steps for obtaining research permits

Contact Patricia A. Holroyd, Ph.D., Museum Scientist, Vertebrate Collections
Patricia A. Holroyd, Ph.D.
Museum of Paleontology
1101 Valley Life Sciences Building
University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
Phone: (510) 642-3733
Email: pholroyd@berkeley.edu

 

Collections housed at the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris, France can be accessed using the following contact information:

  • Steps for obtaining research permits

Fill out the online application form accessed at http://colhelper.mnhn.fr/
Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle
Collections Management
Office Governance
57 Rue Cuvier – CP 43
75005 Paris, France
email: regiecoll@mnhn.fr