Renowned dinosaur researcher Philip Currie is leaving the world-famous museum he helped found to become Alberta's first full-time dinosaur professor.

Currie said he hopes to elevate the province's reputation as a hub for dinosaur research by taking the new post at the University of Alberta this fall.

He is betting that leaving his current job at the famed Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller will open up new opportunities for research grants and thus lead to more dinosaur finds in the province.

"The fact that the University of Alberta wanted me to shift is a pretty good indication that the university itself is committed to upgrade their programs in paleontology," Currie said.

"Very clearly, the interest in dinosaurs worldwide is so high that they will bring in students from all over the world."

Currie has been involved in a number of high-profile dinosaur finds in Alberta and around the world during his 20 years in Drumheller.

Among them were a feathered dinosaur and a dinosaur that had dagger-like teeth, apparently designed for the consumption of meat.

Most dinosaurs were herbivores, scientists believe.