Her career has led her to leadership of the Plant Paleobiology Research Group at Royal Holloway, University of London, UK. Her research interests are interdisciplinary and wide-ranging within plant Paleobotany as evidenced by her publications. They particularly include consideration of geochemical signatures of oxygen, biomolecules and other elements; the paleoclimate and floral assemblages; pollen and other tissues; and evolution in ancient plants.[2]
Helen M.Talbot, Juliane Bischoff, Gordon N. Inglis, Margaret E. Collinson, Richard D. Pancost (2016) Polyfunctionalised bio- and geohopanoids in the Eocene Cobham Lignite Organic Geochemistry 96, June 2016, 77-92
Howard J. Falcon-Lang, Viola Mages and Margaret Collinson (2016) The oldest Pinus and its preservation by fire Geology 44 (4), 303–306.
Sarah A. E. Brown, Andrew C. Scott, Ian J. Glasspool and Margaret E. Collinson (2012) Cretaceous wildfires and their impact on the Earth system. Cretaceous Research 36 162-190
Richard D. Pancost, David S. Steart, Luke Handley, Margaret E. Collinson et al., (2007) Increased terrestrial methane cycling at the Palaeocene-Eocene thermal maximum. Nature 449 (7160) 332-
Neal S. Gupta, Briggs, Derek E. G. Briggs, Margaret E. Collinson et al., (2007) Evidence for the in situ polymerisation of labile aliphatic organic compounds during the preservation of fossil leaves: Implications for organic matter preservation. Organic Geochemistry, 38 (3), 499-522