Natalia Jagielska PhD, MEarthSci (b. 1997) graduated with a Doctorate in Geosciences, specialising in vertebrate palaeontology, at the University of Edinburgh in 2024. Currently, Natalia is employed at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, with a 3-year Post-doctoral Fellowship, focusing on novel surface screening techniques and the evolution and properties of pterosaur soft tissues. Natalia's current work focuses on deployment of screening techniques on fossils (such as Laser-Stimulated Fluorescence) to understand their soft tissue anatomy. Dr. Jagielska has a 1st class Integrated Masters (Hons) in Earth Sciences from the University of Manchester (2019), with thesis focusing on geochemistry of fossils of birds. Their research has been presented at global conferences (SVP, EAVP, SVPCA, PalAss). Natalia herself delivered talks on her research internationally, in addition to demonstrating on field and lab geological and palaeontological courses. In addition to academia, Natalia works within the museum industry, consults on dinosaur-adjecent media ventures (tv, games, toys) and draws cartoons.
Currently employed as a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Currently employed as a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
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Recent employment:
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Education:
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Post-Doctoral Fellow
Chinese University of Hong Kong 香港中文大學 (2025 - 2026) |
Engagement & Collections Officer
Lyme Regis Museum (2024 - 2025) |
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Dr. Jagielska has a diverse portfolio of work experiences. From industrial internships with British Petroleum (BP) to teaching design and game programming with FireTech, and wetland management in Mainland China. Along with training in Cultural Intelligence (British Council Generation UK scheme & Common Purpose) and Central European Green Energy Sector (EPG Romania Summer School). She has worked in England, Scotland, Poland, mainland China and Hong Kong, China (SAR). The industry Natalia is most connected to is the museum sector. Having years of experience in public engagement and curation, from voluntary public-facing work at the Bolton Museum (2015-19) to digitisation collection work at the Manchester Museum (2016-19), culminating in internship at the Museum of Polish Geological Institute (2023) and the role of a Collections Curator and Engagement Officer at the Lyme Regis Museum (2024 - 2025). Where she was involved in handling loans, preparing exhibition spaces, delivering public classes, helping with grant proposals, digitising and facilitating access to collections. Dr. Jagielska has been in charge of organising the largest palaeontological event in Britain, the Lyme Regis Fossil Festival in 2024 and 2025, attracting over 15,000 visitors. Natalia works as a scientific consultant, providing feedback and guidance for tv, books, toys and video games. She was involved in projects such as PalaeoPines, BBC's Walking with Dinosaurs reboot & Frontier Developments Jurassic World Evolution 3.
Natalia dabbles in digital art. She has provided illustrations for a children's books, science journals, covers, apps, merchenidse and museum exhibitions. Her works have been exhibited in Tokyo as part of the Japanese Dinosaur Art Exhibition (2023) and won the "Highly Commended" Marsh Palaeoart Prize (2025, 2026) & BMC E&E "Life in Motion" Figure award (2025). Their artworks featured in DinoCon, Sternberg Science Camps, Palestine Natural History Museum, Warsaw Geological Museum among others. Natalia is a vocal activist for migrant rights, working-class representation and social mobility. Having acted as an ambassador for the Manchester Access Program (2015-2019), mentoring first-generation students (2023) and doing community classes migrant communities in Scotland. Along with charity work, such as events organised by the Epilepsy Action. Formerly based in Dorset, on the UNESCO Jurassic Coast in England. Now living in Hong Kong, China (SAR). |
Recent media work:
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Key Employment, Volunteering & Other (continued):
Muzealnik (Professional Internship Programme)
Geological Museum of the Polish Geological Institute (2023) |
Imaginator (Volunteer)
Bolton Museum & Library (2015-19) Certified Arts Award recipient, organiser of Bolton Library Comic Con & participant in ReadingHack action |
Museum Volunteer
Citizen Science Collection Digitsation & Outreach Manchester Museum (2016-2018) |
British Council GenerationUK
Chinese Language & History Summer Course
StudyChina Program (Distinction) Zhejiang University 浙江大学 (1-month-2019) |
Consulting Credits:
Palaeontological Consultant:
Jurassic World Evolution 3 Frontier Developments (2023-2025) |
Kamyk . pl
Rhamphorhynchus model (2024) |
Palaeontology Consultant:
Walking with Dinosaurs BBC Studios Science Unit (2024) |
CollectA
Dearc figurine (2023) |
Palaeontology Consultant:
PaleoPines
ItalicPig (2020)
PaleoPines
ItalicPig (2020)
GRANTS, BURSARIES AND SCHOLARSHIPS
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Shanghai Sci-tech Co-research Program Grant (2025-2027) in collaboration with the East China Normal University, on evolution of bird feathers (400,000元) (tbc)
Palaeontological Association (PalAss) Small Grants (2025), funding to research pterosaur specimens in China (£490).
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Recipient of the University of Manchester Access Programme Scholarship MAP (2015-2019) (£4000)
Research Fund recipient, supplemented with additional funding via the Publication Scheme and Professional Internship Programme (2019-2024) at the University of Edinburgh
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Took part in 2019 UpRising Leadership Programme, securing funding through the Social Responsibility Fund, to enhance green spaces in regions of Greater Manchester
Successful recipient fully fudnded "GenerationUK" projects: InternChina (June- July 2019); Study China (August 2019). Recipient of the University of Manchester Travel Award (2019) covering costs for transport to China.
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AWARDS
Edward Forbes Prize 2024
The Paleontographical Society 
Marsh PalaeoArt Award 2025
Highly Commended 2D category Marsh PalaeoArt Award 2026
Highly Commended The Palaeontographical Society 
BMC Ecology & Evolution Life in motion Image competition 2025 |
Diversity Engagement and Enhancement in Paleontology (DEEP) Award
The Paleontological Society Outstanding achievement (II) in the 5th "Impression on China" Competition 2025
Chinese Embassy in Poland 
Hallmark Graphic Design Award 2011 Bury College |
SVPCA 2024
Best Student Poster 
Manchester Leadership Award 2019 Step up and Lead initative, for taking up three leadership roles while at the University of Manchester (Scholarship Ambassador; Students' Union Society Chairperson; Accesibility Scholarship Ambassador) |
