Paleontology at Yale has a rich history of research excellence, covering a wide range of topics in the Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences. Our faculty dive into areas like taphonomy, biogeochemistry, exceptionally preserved fossils, trace fossils, evolutionary patterns, and more. We study everything from ancient plants to dinosaurs, using a specimen-based approach combined with analysis, theory, modeling and interdisciplinary research.
Yale’s Peabody Museum of Natural History holds one of the largest and most important fossil collections in the U.S., with over 270,000 paleobotany specimens, 5 million invertebrate fossils, and 75,000 vertebrate fossils. These collections, which date back to early Yale paleontologists like Othniel C. Marsh and Charles Schuchert, are a key resource for ongoing research and discovery.
We also collaborate with the Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies (YIBS), a hub for multidisciplinary research in environmental science, ecology, and paleontology.
