David Harper, Emeritus Professor of Palaeontology and former Principal of Van Mildert College, has been awarded the 2025 Lapworth Medal. This is the Palaeontological Association’s highest honour.
The medal recognises a palaeontologist who has made an exceptional and lasting contribution to the science. It celebrates an extensive body of research, strong leadership and dedicated service to the community.
It is awarded to individuals whose work has shaped the discipline at a global level.
Professor Harper is internationally recognised for reshaping understanding of the origins and evolution of early marine ecosystems.
His work spans systematics, biostratigraphy, palaeogeography and analytical palaeobiology, and has had broad and lasting influence across multiple fields.
A defining theme of Professor Harper’s career is his extensive work on brachiopods, a group of sea creatures with two shells.
Professor Harper is particularly renowned for his research on Early Palaeozoic biodiversification.
He played a crucial role in establishing the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event (GOBE) as the largest marine biodiversification of all time. This work prompted decades of international research.
His integrative approach brings together palaeontology, palaeomagnetism, geochemistry, climate modelling and tectonics.
This combination has revealed how shifting continents, climate variability and even meteorite impacts shaped the early evolution of marine life.
Professor Harper’s influence extends well beyond his scientific discoveries.
He has authored widely used undergraduate textbooks. He also collaborated in developing the statistical packages PALSTAT and its successor PAST – now standard analytical tools cited tens of thousands of times across the sciences.
These resources have helped embed quantitative methods into palaeontological research worldwide.
David’s leadership across international organisations and professional societies, including longstanding service to the Palaeontological Association, reflecting his commitment to advancing the discipline.
His scholarship, mentorship, global collaboration and decades of service exemplify the values of the Lapworth Medal.
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