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Explore With Us: 10 Years of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum
This year, the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) of the National University of Singapore celebrates a decade of exploration, discovery and outreach. Since opening in 2015, the Museum has grown into a leading institution in biodiversity research and education—welcoming visitors, researchers, and students to explore the wonders of the natural world. We have expanded our collections, deepened our understanding of Southeast Asian biodiversity, and strengthened connections between science, the community, and conservation.
As we mark this milestone, we invite you to ‘Explore With Us’—to uncover our rich biodiversity heritage and to appreciate the interconnectedness of the past, present and future of natural history in Singapore and beyond.
6 May 2025
The Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum proudly marked its 10th anniversary, celebrating a decade of excellence in biodiversity research, education, and natural heritage conservation. Since its official opening on 18 April 2015, the Museum has grown into a leading institution in Southeast Asia, dedicated to preserving biodiversity and inspiring future generations.
We were honoured to welcome Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, President of the Republic of Singapore and NUS Chancellor, as the Guest-of-Honour at our 10th anniversary celebration event on 6 May 2025.
7 May 2025–3 May 2026
Travel back in time to discover how the Museum came to be, explore its present endeavours, and get a glimpse of exciting plans to come. Celebrate our 10th Anniversary with us and be part of the next chapter in natural heritage research and conservation through this special exhibition!
18 May 2025
On 18 May 2025, the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) celebrated International Museum Day with a special open house—’Day of Curiosity’—marking a decade of bringing natural history to life. More than ten years ago, a similar open house at the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research—also held on International Museum Day—sparked public interest and the idea for a dedicated natural history museum in Singapore. That vision became reality with the founding of LKCNHM on 18 April 2015, which now returns to its roots by once again opening its doors to curious minds of all ages.
30 May–6 June 2025
In celebration of the Museum’s 10th anniversary, the gallery opened for an exceptional after-hours event: a crime scene investigation! Over five thrilling nights, 250 curious participants transformed into detectives at ‘Night at LKCNHM: A Museum Heist Investigation’, where they tracked down the culprits responsible for the theft of dinosaur and prehistoric fossils.
6 September 2025
On 6 September 2025, the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) celebrated ten years with our first ever public research symposium: Specimens, Science, and Stories—a chance to celebrate our achievements and explore how much more natural history museums can shape the future of biodiversity research and conservation!
10-14 September 2025
Join us for our September school holiday programme, 10th Anniversary special!
Discover how dinosaurs once thrived through our guided gallery tour, and enjoy a 28-min show, “DINOSAURS: A Story of Survival”, in our very own immersive planetarium! What’s more, get up close with some of our skeleton specimens—including a prehistoric one—during our fun and insightful paleoart session!
Personality Quiz
We’ve been going on expeditions and exploring for 10 years now, and this time, we want you to journey with us! Ever wondered what your archetype would be like as a researcher at the Museum? Find out now with this quiz!
To commemorate our 10th Anniversary, the Museum released a new book!
‘Archipelago of Islands’ recognises Singapore’s identity as more than just that of its main island. It celebrates Singapore as a constellation of islands, each with its own vibrant histories. Featuring highlights from the Zoological Reference Collection housed in the Museum, this book showcases the biodiversity (and other) histories of Singapore’s islands across time.
Available for purchase at the Museum shop!
For our 10th Anniversary, we’ve created exclusive new merchandise! From postcards featuring the Museum’s most iconic expeditions over the past ten years, enamel pins of our ten most remarkable described species, to adorable keychain plushies—complete with their own specimen tags!
Stop by the Museum Shop and take home a piece of our history today!
Check out the 10th Anniversary Edition of the Museum’s podcast!
In this special 10th Anniversary edition of Tales from the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, we explore the past, present, and future of LKCNHM!
Join Prof Leo Tan, Advisor of LKCNHM, as he takes us down memory lane to where it all started, and take a seat with Assoc Prof Darren Yeo and Assoc Prof Huang Danwei as they explore what further exciting opportunities await the Museum!
Dr Emanuel Tschopp, a Swiss evolutionary paleobiologist from Freie Universität Berlin, Germany, recently visited the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) to study our three sauropods.
Dr Tschopp shared about how the latest digital technologies help to examine and reconstruct the lives of dinosaurs, just like detective work! Find out more about the talk and his visit to the Museum!