Susan’s scientific contributions

Researching the history of women who have contributed to the field of vertebrate palaeontology in Australasia from the early 20th century onward

Women have been pioneers in vertebrate paleontology from Mary Anning in the early 19th century to the present day, with an increasing presence in the last 50 years. We celebrate women vertebrate paleontologists all over the world and delve into their lives and work examining how the lure of our discipline has spread and shaped our understanding of the history of life on Earth. Gaining professional employment came slowly, with few women recognized before the late nineteenth to early twentieth century, but over time the fossil discoveries and scientific contributions of women scientists paved the way for later generations to pursue careers in paleontology. Our principal aims are to develop a definitive list of women in VP, both past and present, and to create a history that highlights the important roles and the challenges they have overcome to gain degrees and employment, as well as attain leadership positions in professional societies and international research projects. We launched a Go Fund Me project (www.gofundme.com/women-in-vp-videographer-at-svp) that will enable us to videotape interviews of a cross-section of SVP members at the Albuquerque meeting to provide diverse perspectives of their experiences. Now more than 700 women strong (and counting!), our on-line database of Women in Vertebrate Paleontology (see Research Gate project www.researchgate.net) is available for review, revision and updates. We need your help in our search for the names, photos and contributions of women VPers that have collected, taught or pursued research in our discipline. To provide a framework for collecting and evaluating diversity data going forward, in our poster and forthcoming book, we review long-term gender trends, identify strategies that are working and highlight additional actions needed to ensure diversity and inclusion, thus broadening the reach of SVP and our science.