Future Meetings
Here you will find information on future meetings of other professional bodies that are related to palaeontology. You can find out more about the meetings we run on the page Our meetings. If you would like a meeting you are organising to be added to this list, please use our online form: Add a future meeting
8th December - The World at the Time of Messel: Back to the Future?
The Messel Pit, at about 47 million years in age, is arguably the best-preserved ecosystem from the last sustained greenhouse phase of the Earth’s climate. The taxonomic breadth (with 1409 documented taxa so far) and exceptional preservation offer unique insights into a terrestrial ecosystem under climatic conditions that Earth might again experience in coming centuries.
Registration will begin shortly at the conference website.
The conference marks three significant anniversaries surrounding the Messel Konservat-Lagerstätte:
30 years UNESCO World Heritage Status of the Messel Pit Fossil Site (December 1995)
50 years of Senckenberg excavations at the Messel Pit (1975)
150 years since the first fossil was discovered at Messel (December 1875)
While the conference celebrates Messel and its history of study, it will look at the entire Eocene world in its broadest sense, from geology to palaeontology to climate research, with a focus on terrestrial ecosystems. State-of-the-art scientific research will be presented and discussed in an international context.
Seven main scientific topics were selected for the conference: Taphonomy, Life history and reproduction, Organismic diversity, Interspecific interactions, Sensory systems, Biogeography, and Terrestrial palaeoclimate.
Because the sessions address broad questions in the palaeobiology, they will run serially. In addition to four days of scientific sessions, we plan evening events and a field excursion to the Messel Pit.
Five travel grants will be awarded to researchers at early stages of their careers.
We are grateful to the Volkswagen Foundation for supporting this international Senckenberg Conference 2025.
2nd August - Climatic and Biotic Events of the Paleogene
The Paleogene Period was a time of extremes and transitions. Bounded by the mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous and the rise of modern grasslands, the climate of the Paleogene was globally much warmer than today’s, yet continents and ocean basins had nearly modern configurations and supported biotic communities and biogeochemical regimes of broadly familiar types. The causes, dynamics and functioning of the Paleogene Earth-Life System are being studied by an international and highly interdisciplinary group of scientists including paleontologists, geologists, geochemists, paleoceanographers, climate scientists, and ecologists, among others. This community is united by its curiosity about the Paleogene Earth and what its history can tell us about our future.
We invite scientists worldwide to attend the 13th Climatic and Biotic Events of the Paleogene conference to be held August 2-8, 2026 at the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, DC. CBEP2026 is co-hosted by NMNH and the U.S. Geological Survey. Together we will share recent advances in our knowledge of the Paleogene and the immediately preceding and following Late Cretaceous and Miocene, centering on these thematic areas:
Climate States and Processes
Stratigraphy and Surface Processes
Terrestrial and Marine Ecosystems
Biogeochemical Cycles
25th May - The Triassic Paleontology In The 21st Century: News After The First Quarter
The first quarter of the 21st century has witnessed an incredible explosion of knowledge about Triassic biodiversity. The Triassic Period is marked by a succession of major bioevents that shaped the evolution of life on Earth. These include the biotic recovery following the end-Permian mass extinction and its interplay with the onset of the Mesozoic Marine Revolution, the Carnian Pluvial Episode with its profound climatic and ecological consequences, and the fluctuating but overall declining biodiversity of the Norian–Rhaetian interval, culminating in the end-Triassic mass extinction. In recent years, our understanding of these pivotal transitions has significantly improved thanks to the restudy of historical assemblages, discovery of new fossil localities, and the application of innovative, quantitative analytical methods, which have provided fresh insights into the tempo and mode of Triassic evolutionary dynamics.
This congress aims to cover all branches of Triassic paleontology: from terrestrial and marine invertebrates and vertebrates to paleobotany and palynology, from micropaleontology to paleoichnology, from paleogeography to paleoecology and more. The diversity of contributions aims to strengthen the interdisciplinary nature of Triassic research, in order to offer a more complete understanding of Triassic ecosystems.
We look forward to welcoming you here to present the state of the art of your research,
illustrate the progress made over the past 25 years, and foster discussions on the future directions
of Triassic paleontological research.
22nd November - The 4th International Conference on Palaeontology of Southeast Asia
After the success of the ICPSEA 2003, 2010 in Thailand, and 2013 in Malaysia, it is our honour to organise and welcome you to join the ICPSEA 2025 in northeast Thailand. It is another good time to sustain and expand our networking and mutual interaction among our regional and global communities
ICPSEA 2025 is open to all interested in the fields of palaeontology and related fields such as biology, geology, environmental sciences, and others. It is a venue for everyone also from relevant disciplines to share knowledge and experience regarding the palaeontology context of Southeast Asia and other correlative regions. Not only in conventional palaeontology, but also in the advanced techniques as well as the applications to understand the nature, to support the community programmes for sustainable development, and beyond.
8th September - 19th Argentine Symposium on Paleobotany and Palynology (SAPP) and 58th Annual Meeting AASP-The Palynological Society (AASP-TPS)
The 19th Argentine Symposium on Paleobotany and Palynology (SAPP) and the 58th Annual Meeting of the AASP–The Palynological Society (AASP–TPS), will be held jointly at the Egidio Feruglio Paleontological Museum (MEF) in Trelew, Chubut Province, Patagonia, Argentina, between the 8th and 11th of September 2026.
Since 1978, the SAPP—organized by the Latin American Association of Paleobotany and Palynology (ALPP)—has become the most relevant meeting in the field of paleobotany and palynology in Argentina, regularly welcoming over 200 participants from different regions such as Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Mexico, and the United States. Each edition hosts more than 150 scientific contributions, organized into oral sessions, poster presentations, and plenary lectures covering a wide range of topics: anatomy and morphology, systematics and taxonomy, paleobiology, paleoclimatology, aeropalynology, melissopalynology, biostratigraphy, paleomycology, among others.
The Annual Meeting of the AASP–TPS, organized since 1967, is one of the most prestigious international events in the field of palynology. The meeting brings together researchers from around the world to discuss both fossil and modern palynology from an interdisciplinary perspective.
Additionally, thematic symposia, keynote lectures, and field trips to sites of paleobotanical, botanical, and geological interest in the region are planned, offering a unique opportunity for academic exchange in close contact with the Patagonian landscapes.
The event will also feature a set of initiatives aimed at strengthening engagement with the local community. These include educational programs, public exhibitions, and outreach activities designed to bring advances in paleobotany and palynology closer to a broader audience, fostering exchange between science and society in a regional context.
About Patagonia and Trelew
Patagonia is a key region for the natural sciences in the Southern Hemisphere. Its mix of steppes, mountain ranges, sea shores, and well-preserved geological history makes it a reference area for paleontological research. Fossil sites across the region provide extraordinary records that are essential for reconstructing the evolution of ecosystems and biotas through time.
It is also a living territory of exceptional biodiversity, like the Magellanic penguins and southern right whales in the Atlantic coast.
Located in the center of this vast region, the city of Trelew has daily flights to and from Buenos Aires via the Almirante Marcos A. Zar International Airport, and additional air connections through the El Tehuelche Airport (in Puerto Madryn, 60 km north). Trelew also has a regional and national bus terminal, along with a wide range of accommodation, gastronomy, and services, making it a suitable location for scientific meetings of both national and international scale.
Hence, the meeting offers a unique opportunity to explore this region’s natural and fossil heritage while engaging in academic exchange in paleobotany and palynology.
10th December - Geological Collections Group 52nd Winter Seminar and Annual General Meeting: Putting Geology Collections to Work
Our geological collections represent a vast resource of immense significance and potential. For this year’s GCG Winter Seminar we focus on the many ways in which we can use our geological collections in today’s world.
Themes to explore include:
Innovative use of collections
Online engagement
Exhibitions and displays
Talks and outreach
Geoheritage sites
Research and History of Geology
Geology’s vital societal role e.g. climate change, critical resources
Marking significant anniversaries
New discoveries and the media
The seminar will be followed by the 52nd Annual General Meeting of the Geological Collections Group. Please note that although refreshments will be available, we are not able to provide lunch. There are limited outlets close to the museum, or alternatively please bring your own packed lunch.
We are currently calling for presentations on these themes; please send abstracts of <250 words to events@geocurator.org stating whether for oral or poster presentation. Presenters will be invited to submit papers to Geological Curator.
6th July - 7th International Trilobite Meeting - San Emiliano 2026
The 7ITM will be a family-friendly congress on trilobites and their relatives, aimed at discussing new advances in our knowledge of their diversity and disparity, while fostering personal collaboration after years without meetings. It will be a specialized meeting in a rural and relaxed setting, with accommodation and sessions held in the same country hotel to facilitate continuous interaction.
More information about this meeting