Dr Diebel began as Director Natural Environment/Papatūānuku in January 2004. In this role, Dr Diebel is responsible for leading research, curatorial, and collection management functions across Te Papa’s Natural Environment teams.
Te Papa’s Natural Environment collections encompass archaeozoology, birds, botany, entomology, fish, mammals, molluscs and other marine invertebrates, reptiles, and amphibians.
Dr Diebel most recently held the position of Curator of Marine Biology Collections at the Auckland War Memorial Museum, and has previously held positions in New Zealand and the United States, including research roles at the University of Auckland and the University of Florida.
Dr Diebel has a PhD in Biological Oceanography from the Joint Programme in Oceanography, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (United States). She has experience in research and museum management and the development of marine biology collections, as well as in communicating science to diverse audiences. Dr Diebel’s research interests have mainly focussed on the sensory biology of aquatic organisms.
Dr Diebel has published widely. She is currently a member of the Editorial Board for the Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand and a member of the Biodiversity Research Advisory Group for the Ministry of Fisheries.