Thomas Hewitt Rich

Thomas H. Rich (born May 30, 1941), generally known as Tom Rich, is an Australian palaeontologist. He and his wife, Patricia Arlene Vickers-Rich headed the dig at Dinosaur Cove. He is, as of 2025, Senior Curator of Vertebrate Palaeontology at Museums Victoria.

Education and career He was a student of Professor Ruben Arthur Stirton. This pushed him to become aware of potential in Australia to make fundamental discoveries about mammalian evolution Received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1964 and his Masters in 1967 at the University of California, Berkeley He graduated in 1973 from Columbia University in New York City with a Ph.D. in Geology.

Career and professional positions Rich trained as a Vertebrate paleontologist at University of California, Berkeley and Columbia University. His research has revolved around finding and analyzing the Early Cretaceous Polar Dinosaurs, mammals and other tetrapods of southeastern Australia. His work is also known as the Ghastly Blank project, beginning in 1978 and the summaries of the field work and scientific results are recorded in the book Darkness and Dinosaurs, which he wrote with his wife. Dinosaurs of Darkness. Thomas H. Rich and Patricia Arlene Vickers-RichDinosaurs of Darkness: In search of the Lost Polar World. Thomas H. Rich and Patricia Arlene Vickers-RichThe Artist and the Scientists: Bringing Prehistory to Life. Peter Trusler, Thomas H. Rich and Patricia Arlene Vickers-RichPersonal life Thomas H. Rich was born on May 30, 1941, in the United States. Rich is married to palaeontologist Patricia Arlene Vickers-Rich. Together the couple described the dinosaur genera Leaellynasaura and Timimus'', naming them after their daughter and son, Leaellyn and Tim Rich, respectively.

In 2012, Thomas Rich was diagnosed with Macular Degeneration, an eye disease that causes loss of vision. In an effort to treat his condition, he became the first Australian to use IrisVision.