12/10/2026
When we unveiled our Historic England Blue Plaque dedicated to Dorothea Bate, some of the museum's women scientists brought along the collections they work on for everyone to enjoy. This was an opportunity to ask them about their careers. Dr Spyridoula Pappa, Senior Curator of Fossil Mammals tells us about her inspirational career path:
"I was always a curious child. I loved exploring nature, but was equally fascinated by museum collections, art and the stories behind the people who discovered them. That curiosity led me to study geology, and eventually to fossil mammals.
My passion for palaeontology began in 2002, when I volunteered on a cave excavation in northern Greece. I was fascinated by how fossils could tell us about past environments and how animals and people responded to environmental change. That experience changed the direction of my career.
Over the years, I worked on excavations across Greece, helped establish natural history museums and studied fossil bears. I came to realise that museums are much more than places where objects are displayed, they are collections of stories.
When I moved to London, I was determined to volunteer at the Museum and my dream was to work here. A chance encounter with Prof. Adrian Lister led to an opportunity to work with Andy Currant, who was the Fossil Mammal curator at the time and the fossil mammal collections, including the Tabun Cave material, and eventually to a PhD. Years later, I returned to the Museum as a Senior Curator.
I first encountered Dorothea Bate’s work early in my career, and her story has always resonated with me. She was remarkably determined and persistent in pursuing science at a time when women faced significant barriers. I like to think that spirit of curiosity and determination connects us across generations.
What I enjoy most about my work is that it brings together everything I have always loved; science, natural history, museum collections, fieldwork and, above all, the opportunity to discover something new and share that sense of discovery with others.."
