Serjoscha Evers is the new director of the Urwelt-Museum Oberfranken

Geoscientist and paleontologist Dr. Serjoscha Evers will take over as scientific director of the Urwelt Museum Oberfranken on August 1, 2025. He succeeds his predecessor, Dr. Joachim Rabold, who headed the museum in Bayreuth’s pedestrian zone for 26 years.

Dr. Serjoscha Evers’ research focuses on the evolution and neuroanatomy of reptiles, working in particular with 3D models. Born in Hanover, he most recently worked as a junior group leader at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland, where he conducted research on the “Macroevolution of Turtle Morphology” as part of a project funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). Serjoscha Evers completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in geosciences at TUM and LMU Munich, and his doctorate on the early evolution of sea turtles took him to the University of Oxford in England. The paleontologist has extensive experience in fossil recovery, gained during excavation campaigns on all five continents.

Serjoscha Evers is particularly looking forward to the interplay between science and its communication to society: “I am excited by the many facets of my new role as museum director. Conveying knowledge about nature to a very diverse audience in a creative way is just as much a core part of my work at the Urwelt Museum as preserving and conserving the valuable museum objects. I want to reach as many people as possible with the museum. Natural history museums are both a gateway for children to the world of science and a place of continuing education for adults. After many years at the university, I am now looking forward to the new and varied work at the Urwelt-Museum Oberfranken with its collection, its excavation projects in the surrounding area, and its great location in the heart of Bayreuth.”

“We are delighted to have gained a young and proven colleague for our museum in Dr. Evers,” said Prof. Jörg Overmann, Director General of the Bavarian State Natural History Collections (SNSB). “Thanks to the great commitment of his predecessor and the dedicated work of the museum team, he will find the best conditions for his new role. I look forward to our collaboration and to the future development of the Urwelt Museum within the SNSB.”

Urwelt-Museum Oberfranken

As one of a total of five regional museums belonging to the SNSB, the Upper Franconia Museum of Prehistory in Bayreuth covers an area of 600 square meters and primarily exhibits fossils, minerals, and rocks from the geologically diverse region of Upper Franconia. Special highlights include giant dinosaur models, a walk-in gold crystal, plants from a primeval jungle, and many unique fossils of dinosaurs, reptiles, ammonites, and fish from a tropical sea long since lost. The exhibitions attract almost 30,000 visitors to the museum in Bayreuth’s pedestrian zone every year. Today’s Upper Franconia Museum of Prehistory and Natural History dates back to a natural history collection founded in 1833. When it was founded, the historic district natural history cabinet contained an estimated 20,000 fossils, minerals, and rocks. Over time, the collection has grown many times over, particularly in recent years, thanks to donations and the museum’s own acquisitions. Some particularly impressive exhibits are on display in the museum, such as the remains of long-extinct fish dinosaurs and prehistoric crocodiles. The UMO also houses the world’s most extensive and complete collection of fossil plants from the Lower Lias period (200 million years ago). As the new director of the museum, Serjoscha Evers is responsible in particular for the scientific management of the collection. He succeeds his predecessor, Dr. Joachim Rabold, who headed the Urwelt Museum for 26 years.

Contact:

Dr. Serjoscha Evers
Urwelt-Museum Oberfranken (SNSB Regionalmuseum)
Kanzleistraße 1, 95444 Bayreuth, Germany
Tel.: 0921 511 211
E-Mail: evers@snsb.de