Mike Archer (paleontologist)

Mike Archer (born 1945, Sydney, New South Wales) is an Australian paleontologist specialising in Australia vertebrates. He is a Professor at the School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales. His previous appointments include Director of the Australian Museum 1999-2004^[1] and Dean of Science at the University of New South Wales 2004-2009.^[2]

He was born in Sydney but raised in the United States and studied at the Princeton University. From 1972 to 1978, he was the Curator of Mammals at the Queensland Museum.^[3] Since 1983, he is involved with the exploration of the Riversleigh fossil site in Queensland.^[4]

He is opposed to Creationism and regularly engages in active debates with Creationists.^[5]

During his time as Director of the Australian Museum, he was the initiator of attempts to clone the Thylacinus cynocephalus, the Tasmanian Tiger, an animal extinct since 1936.^[6][7]

He is married to the paleontologist Suzanne Hand, with whom he has two daughters.

Honours

• 1984: Clarke Medal, Royal Society of New South Wales^[8]
• 1987: Inaugural Queensland Museum Medal for Research
• 1989: Australian Heritage Award for Nature Conservation
• 1990: Inaugural Eureka Prize for the Promotion of Science
• 1990: Inaugural IBM Conservation Award for Research
• 1994: Von Mueller Medal, ANZAAS
• 1996: Verco Medal, Royal Society of South Australia
• 1998: Australian Skeptic of the Year
• 2002: Fellow, Australian Academy of Science
• 2008: Member of the Order of Australia (AM)^[9]

Publications

• Archer, M. (Ed.) (1982). Carnivorous Marsupials. Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales, 1982. ISBN 9780959995137, 9780959995137 (2 volumes)
• Archer, M. and Clayton, C. (Eds.) (1984). Vertebrate Zoogeography & Evolution in Australasia: Animals in Space & Time. Hesperian Press. ISBN 9780859050364
• Archer, M. and Flannery, T.F. with Grigg, G.C. (1985) The Kangaroo. Kevin Weldon Press. ISBN 9780949708229
• Archer, M., Hand, S. and Godthelp, H. (1986). Uncovering Australia's Dreamtime. Surrey Beatty & Sons ISBN 0949324078
• Archer, M. (Ed.) (1987). Possums and Opossums: Studies in Evolution. Surrey Beatty & Sons in association with the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales. ISBN 0949324051
• Cronin, L. (Ed.) (1987). Koala: Australia's Endearing Marsupial. Reed Books Pty, Ltd. ISBN 9780730101581 (text by Archer et al.)
• Long, J.A., Archer, M., Flannery, T. and Hand, S. (2002). Prehistoric mammals of Australia and New Guinea: One hundred million years of evolution. University of NSW Press.. ISBN 9780868404356
• Archer, M., Hand, S. and Godthelp, H. (2000). Australia's lost world: Prehistoric animals of Riversleigh. Indiana University Press. ISBN 9780253339140

References