[7] Black's early career involved extracting, curating and analysing the fossils of the vertebrate faunas within limestone deposits in the region of the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, located in northwestern Queensland.
Black's research is focussed on improving our understanding of species interactions, development, faunal change, as well as behaviour, and community structure in ecosystems within Australia.
Black was involved in the naming of a new species of extinct koala, which lived in canopies of northern Australian rainforest, approximately 20 million years ago.
The species was named Litokoala dicksmithi, and Black reported “We chose the name to thank Mr Smith for his long-term financial support of Australian science, in particular, of fossil research at the Riversleigh World Heritage Area in north western Queensland.”[8] The new species was described within the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology.
[9] Her Dorothy Hill Medal was awarded for mammalogy research across the continent, describing the evolution of Australia's mammals, and relating changes across time with planetary-wide palaeoclimatic events, with the goal of providing new evidence-based understanding regarding projected future climate-driven changes within the biodiversity.