Frank Talbot Memorial Fund

The Frank Talbot Memorial Fund raises funds to support the annual Talbot Oration and the Australian Museum’s scientific and climate related programs.

The Talbot Oration showcases advances in the field of climate change research and environmental conservation, enabling the public to better understand and respond to our changing environment. Named in honour of former Australian Museum Director, the late Professor Frank Talbot, it celebrates Talbot’s commitment to, and achievements in, marine research and environmental studies in Australia and on the global stage.

If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact us on development@australian.museum.

With a career that spanned more than half a century, Professor Talbot was a visionary whose contributions to both academia and public education have left an enduring legacy.

He was the director of the Australian Museum from 1966 to 1975 where he founded the Australian Museum’s Lizard Island Research Station at the top of the Great Barrier Reef 51 years ago.

Professor Talbot was an ichthyologist (Fish Scientist) and served as the Australian Museum’s Curator of Fishes before being appointed Director of the Museum in 1966. He oversaw a transformative period for the institution. Under his leadership, the museum expanded its research capabilities and became a global leader in biodiversity, natural history, and conservation education. His passion for engaging the public in science helped elevate the museum’s profile, making it a cornerstone of cultural life in NSW. In 1972, Professor Talbot set up the Australian Museum Society (TAMS) as a bridge between the Museum and the general public, which continues today as the popular Australian Museum Members program.

An internationally renowned museum director and the only Australian to lead the prestigious Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C from 1989 -1994, Professor Talbot also served as Executive Director of the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco from 1982-1989. He was also the founding chair of the Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS), a leading marine research centre, founding professor of Environmental Studies at Macquarie University and a former Chairman of the Taronga Zoo Board and the North American Association of Science Museum Directors.

Professor Talbot’s influence extended far beyond the walls of the institutions he led. An expert in marine biology, he was a pioneering researcher in coral reef ecosystems, contributing significantly to global understanding of marine life and the urgent need for its conservation.

He established the world-renowned Australian Museum Lizard Island Research Station (LIRS) in 1973. Professor Talbot’s groundbreaking research on coral reefs in the Red Sea and across the Indo-Pacific brought critical attention to these fragile environments long before the current global awareness of climate change and ocean conservation.