Adele Pentland

Career Profile

I am passionate about advancing Australian palaeontology and science communication.
I have named the two most complete species of Australian pterosaur, and collaborated with natural history museums to create engaging displays and educational materials for students.

My research has been published in prestigious journals, including Scientific Reports (Nature Publishing) and received over 235 citations (h-index=10, i10-index=12 on Google Scholar, garnering attention from major media outlets, including The New York Times, National Geographic, The Washington Post, BBC, and CNN, among others.

Education

2023–present: Doctor of Philosophy, Curtin University
2017–2022: Doctor of Philosophy, Swinburne University of Technology
2015: Bachelor of Science (Honours), Monash University
2012–2014: Bachelor of Science, Monash University
2006–2011: Study Score of 88.40, Vermont Secondary College

PhD Candidate at Curtin University

Peer Review / Editing

2025–Present: Advisory Board Member of Cretaceous Research
Academia Brasileira de Ciências (2)
Acta Geologica Sinica (English Edition)
Alcheringa
The Anatomical Record,
BMC Ecology and Evolution
European Journal of Education
Paläontologische Zeitschrift
PeerJ
Scientific Reports

Professional Memberships

Royal Society of Victoria Inc: 2023–Present
Paleontological Society: 2023–Present
Australian Opal Centre Life Member: 2022–Present
Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History Million Year Member: 2020–Present
Geological Society of Australia: 2020–Present
Society of Vertebrate Paleontology: 2019–Present

Extracurriculars

2025–2026: Homeward Bound
2025 STEMpals Mentor
2025–2026: Superstars of STEM, Science and Technology Australia
2024–Present: Higher Degrees by Research Representative for the Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee for the School of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Curtin University
2023 Very Short Film Festival Finalist
2022–2024: Rural Fire Service, Volunteer

Student Supervision

Co-Supervising Sian Zahid (3rd Year Research Project, In Progress) – Monash University, 2025

Fieldwork

Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia (Monash University): 2014.
Anglesea Coal Mine, Victoria, Australia (Monash University): 2015
Otway Coast, Victoria, Australia (Dinosaur Dreaming – Museum Victoria and Monash University): 2016
Araripe Basin, Ceará State, Brazil (Curtin University): 2023
Winton, Queensland, Australia (Australian Age of Dinosaurs): 2016, 2017 (x2), 2018 (x2), 2019 (x2), 2021 (x2), 2022 (x2), 2023, 2024 (x2)
Cape Paterson, Victoria, Australia (Dinosaur Dreaming – Museum Victoria and Monash University): 2019, 2025
Pilbara, Western Australia, Australia (Curtin University): 2025

I have dedicated more than 30 weeks to fieldwork, leading volunteer teams in the excavation of 100-million-year-old dinosaur fossils in remote Queensland, Australia. I have also collaborated with international researchers on digs from Museu Nacional (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro) and Universidade Regional do Cariri in Brazil.

Museum Exhibits

I have collaborated with several Australian museums to translate my research into engaging and accessible exhibits:

Ferrodraco – Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum, Winton (QLD)
I provided scientific consulting for the first iteration of the museum’s permanent Ferrodraco display, based on my published research. Museum tour guides and other educational programs mention this research explicitly. Since its unveiling in October 2019, the exhibit has been viewed by over 200,000 visitors.

Haliskia – Kronosaurus Korner, Richmond (QLD)
I co-designed an information panel and was invited as a guest speaker for the April 2024 unveiling of Haliskia peterseni, the centrepiece of Kronosaurus Korner’s new pterosaur display. The exhibit draws directly on my collaborative research with the museum.

Victoria's Pterosaurs – Victoria the T. rex Exhibit, Melbourne Museum (VIC)
I worked with Melbourne Museum to develop a public-facing information panel summarising my research on Victorian Cretaceous pterosaurs. Displayed as part of the Victoria the T. rex exhibition (28 June – 20 October 2024), this exhibit was viewed by an estimated 200,000–250,000 visitors.

Diamantinasaurus Skull – Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum (QLD)
As co-author of the study describing a new Diamantinasaurus skull, my research directly informed exhibit signage and museum tour content. This addition to the museum has since been viewed by over 130,000 visitors.

Scientific Consulting

CSIRO Publishing – Children’s Book (forthcoming)
Served as honorary scientific adviser on a children’s book, ensuring accuracy of the palaeontological content.

Australia Post Dinosaur Stamp Series (2022)
Acted as scientific adviser for the national Dinosaur Stamp Series, featuring five extinct species, including Ferrodraco lentoni and the Australian elaphrosaurine—taxa I formally described as author and co-author.

Grants

I have co-led three successful research grants to scan fossils at the Australian Synchrotron, and deliver science communication workshops in remote communities in Australia totalling $122,952

2025 Richmond Shire Council Regional Arts Development Fund (awarded to Jodie Fox, $24,600 for distribution and administration on behalf of Kronosaurus Korner)
2025 Australian Synchrotron Beamtime on Micro-Computed Tomography (awarded to principal investigator Joseph Bevitt, In-kind Grant Value $65,568.00 based on number of hours)
2023 Australian Synchrotron Beamtime on the Imaging and Medical Beamline (awarded under supervision of Stephen Poropat, In-kind Grant Value $32,784.00 based on number of hours)

Scholarships

I have been invited to visit the Parliament of Australia to attend Science Meets Parliament, and have secured $17,000 in travel funding and fee waivers to support my research and professional development

2025 Superstars of STEM Scholarship (in-kind value ~$3,000)
2024 Graduate Women Western Australia Open Scholarship ($5000)
2024 Connellan Airways Trust Individuals Grant ($1000)
2024 ASTEN Conference Travel Fellowship ($2000)
2024 Curtin University Research Engagement Grant ($2500)
2023 Science meets Parliament Regional & Remote Scholarship (in-kind value ~$3,500)

Awards

I have received numerous academic merit based awards, and have been recognised in science communication competitions including FameLab, Three Minute Thesis and Visualise Your Thesis, earning approximately $6, 500.

2024 Visualise Your Thesis (VYT) 3rd Place ($1000)
2024 Curtin Media Engagement Award Finalist
2024 Curtin University Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Runner Up ($400)
2024 Curtin University Visualise Your Thesis (VYT) Winner ($1000)
2024 The Association for Women Geoscientists and the Paleontological Society’s Winifred Goldring Award - Honorable Mention
2023 Curtin Media Engagement Award - Best New Talent
2023 Curtin University Visualise Your Thesis Runner Up ($400)
2023 Curtin University Research Dissemination Grant ($2500)
2023 Queensland Women in STEM Prize Finalist
2021 FameLab Australia Semi-finalist 2020
Outstanding Article from a Student, Swinburne University of Technology 2020 3MT Runner Up, Swinburne University of Technology
Top 100 Author, Scientific Reports (Nature Publishing Group), 2019
2019 Conference on Australasian Vertebrate Evolution, Palaeontology and Systematics Early Career Researcher Plenary Presentation ($200)
2020 Swinburne University of Technology Emergency Student Fund ($1000)