1980: The government announced its plan to establish and maintain the first modern science museum for the people, for education and science.

1981-1985: The Museum's Planning Office, which was set up at Chung-hsing University, Taichung, hired its first curator (and later director) Professor Han Pao-teh a dedicated and knowledgeable artist with special expertise in architecture. Under Han's leadership, less than 20 staff members strived to complete the first phase of the Museum to house its 312 items.

1986-1995: The first phase of the Museum including the Science Center, Space IMAX Theater, Administration Building, and outdoor grounds was completed and opened on the New Year's Day of 1986 along with the unveiling of the Museum’s logo. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Han was appointed as the first director. Under the leadership of Mr. Han, the Museum was decided to start phasing out the second phase (Life Science Hall); and it was completed and opened in August of 1988; Five years later in 1993, the third phase (Human Cultures Hall) & the fourth phase (Global Environment Hall, including Bird-Eye-View Theater, Environment Theater, and 3D Theater) were simultaneously opened in August. At this time, the whole museum complex has completed. The number of the museum staff has grown from 80 to 120, and the specimen from 12,773 to 374,470.

In addition to expanding its collections and exhibit areas for a growing audience during the ten years, the Museum opened a visitor center in July of 1988 to serve visitors from Taipei and offer a better press release. Also, it sent as many as 60 staff members to advanced museums abroad to learn the management or maintenance of a modern museum.

1995:Mr. Han resigned after nearly fourteen years of service and assistant director Li Chia-wei was named to lead the Museum.

1996: Mr. Li served the Museum as director for only one year until his resignation in September of 1996. Dr. Peng Cheng-yi, the assistant director, took over as acting director while the government conducted a formal search for a new director.

Botanical Park in 1999

1997-2002: The Museum's next director, Dr. Cho Yen-hsin, was selected to improve and expand the Museum's collections, exhibits, facilities and education programs in October of 1997. In the following five years, the Museum initiated outreaching its special exhibitions to schools or organizations (1998), and provided a number of services online, including presenting its collections in electronic formats (1997), offering the library's online catalogue (1999), and issuing free e-newsletters (2001). In addition to expanding its scope of serving people, the Museum also strived to achieve the institution's mission of providing quality natural science education for Taiwan. The Botanical Park was opened in July of 1999, showing more than 1,200 tropical plant collections. At this time, the specimen collections have grown to 551,705.

2002: In February of 2002, Dr. Cho retired after nearly five years of service and assistant director Dr. Hsieh Fong-kuo took over as acting director. Half a year later in July, Dr. Hsieh resigned his position and was succeeded by Dr. Li Chia-wei who guided the Museum from 1995 to 1997.

Fault Hall, 921 Earthquake Museum

2002-2005: As a result of tremendous public and private response to the disaster of earthquake happening on September 21 of 1999, the government designed the 921 Earthquake Museum on the site of Guang-fu Junior High School, which was badly damaged by the quake. The government had the Museum take it over in January of 2002. And since then, it has become a division of the Museum and a sophisticated simulator of educating people about earthquakes. After 4 years of planning and construction, the first phase of the Earthquake Museum including the Fault Hall and the Image Hall was opened on September 21, 2003.

Dr. Li dominated Lilium speciosum (local name: showy lily), an endangered protophyte native plant to Taiwan and relocated successfully by the Museum's curators, the mascot flower of the Museum in July of 2002; and the name of the botanical park was changed to its present title, the "Botanical Garden."

2005-April of 2006: Dr. Li resigned his presidency in June of 2005 and assistant director Cho Wen-hao took over as acting director for nearly one year.

Renovated Human Cultures Hall

May of 2006 - May of 2008: Dr. Lin Tzong-hsien, a professor of botany at Taiwan University, was named to lead the Museum. Under Dr. Lin's leadership, the extension of the 921 Earthquake Museum was completed and opened to the public in September 21, 2007. The extension includes four Halls of Earthquake Site, Earthquake Engineering, Earthquake Prevention and Recovery Process, and a large screen theater with realistic images of the earthquake's destructiveness, and lots of information about the earthquake. Also, the Museum's original Chinese Science Hall was completely renovated to include more and new collections, and renamed to Human Cultures Hall in November 2007. After a 2-year term, Dr. Lin returned to Taiwan University and the assistant director Cho Wen-hao took over as acting director again.

August of 2008 – January of 2011: Dr. Chang Tien-jye, the former Vice President of National Chung Hsing University, was selected to become the fifth leader of the Museum. Due to Dr. Chang’s endeavor, the Museum was awarded the best quality of visitor services from the Education Ministry in 2009, and promoted the traveling exhibition “Singing Insects” to Europe. This was the first special exhibition organized by the Museum traveling to Europe and caused a blockbuster there. Dr. Chang returned to Chung Hsing University on January 16, 2011.

January of 2011 – Present: Dr. Sun Wei-hsin from Taiwan University was selected to become the seventh leader of the National Museum of Natural Science.

Today, the National Museum of Natural Science, a landmark of the central part of Taiwan and the third most popular resort in Taiwan (less than Taipei Zoo & National Palace Museum), welcomes more than 3 million visitors each year, 65% of which are school children. With the Science Center offering an interactive exhibit of hands-on science experiments, four Halls comprising over 650 thousand objects and specimens, the Space IMAX Theater, Botanical Garden, 921 Earthquake Museum, and sophisticated touring exhibitions throughout the year, the Museum always offers something for everyone.