Research Division
It's rather undeniable that people who know about the Service may be predisposed to think of its staff as a trifle peculiar. This is unfortunate, as the overwhelming majority are calm, rational, and utterly grounded individuals. This is not exactly the case in the Research division, however.
The Research division is responsible for understanding the natural and unnatural history of the Realms, as well as the occult forces that seem to pervade them and leak into our own world. These efforts include learning how to defend against incursions from the Realms and controlling the occult for the benefit of the empire.
The individuals who are willing and able to embark on such studies tend to be somewhat unconventional. Long years spent researching these matters do little to promote conformity. While most of the Research staff is permanent, the division does make use of outside experts. Obviously, these are carefully chosen for their discretion.
Organization
Research is organized somewhat differently than the other divisions. For one thing, the number of sections has changed over the years, as have their particular areas of emphasis. In some ways, each section functions rather as a learned society or university department, with the staff driving the direction of the section and the section chief serving more as coordinator and referee.
The nature of the Research Director's role is somewhat different as well. Because the interests of the division change with time, there was concern among the staff that a long-serving director might attempt to maintain a research project in they had a personal interest even after that well had been pumped dry. There was also fear that well-qualified individuals might elect to dodge the position, rather than surrender their researches.
As a result, the decision was made that the director's position would held for two-year terms on a rotating basis among the section chiefs. When a section chief holds the directorship, their position is held by an chief pro tempore. This system works as well as might be expected.
The current director of Research is Joshua Lattimore, who was Chief Archivist.
Arcana and Occultism
Arcana and Occultism, more often called A&O, is the oldest section of the Research division; its origins stretching back almost to the creation of the Service. Over that time the focus of the section has drifted almost constantly. Early in the Service's history, it was primarily concerned with the detection of the arcane. Later, the most pressing question was how to defend against these forces. This was followed, as might be expected, by the question of how it might be used for attack. Most recently, efforts have been concentrated upon the scientific principles at work.
As might be expected, A&O has attracted some of the Service's more colourful characters, some of whom were every bit as inexplicable as their subject matter.
Robert James Lees currently serves as Section Chief. He is a favorite of Her Majesty.
Xenobiology
The Xenobiology section was named by Charles Darwin, who would occasionally consult for the Service. Darwin had a particular interest in determining whether there was any direct connection between life on Earth and other Realms. The section studies the life in the Realms and attempts to categorize it.
In practice, this research is rather difficult. The administration of the Service has placed strict limits on what living creatures can be brought to Fairweather (these regulations were put in place after a number of unfortunate incidents). This has left researchers with three options: examining those creatures that have found their way to Earth, interviewing investigators and explorers who have come across creatures in the Realms, or venturing into the Realms themselves. The last method is uncommon, as the risks are high, but is used most often by the botanists, who suffer from the lack of plants passing through portals and the annoying habit of investigators generally ignoring the local flora during their activities.
The Xenobiology section is led by Harriet Anne Thiselton-Dyer.
Artifacting
The newest of the Research sections is Artifacting, which is devoted to understanding the various arcane devices that are discovered and constructing whatever new devices are possible for the use of the Service. The former items cover considerable territory, from carved totems of wood or stone, through complex mechanical devices. Many of these involve some sort of occult power, but some use the powers of electricity and magnetism.
Artifacting has taken over responsibility for the Reliquary, which is the store of arcane and occult objects that are deemed unsafe to be in the public sphere. This is a smaller collection than one might think, as most items do not come to the attention of the Service until they are activated. Activation will often render the article harmless or destroy it entirely. When items are brought in by Housekeeping or Investigations, they're stored in a vault known as "Purgatory" until they've been properly examined and a final disposition determined.
The Artfacting Section Chief is Maria Verne, sister of the famous French author.
The Archives
The Archives serve both as a record of the activities of the Service and as a reference. They contain a substantial library that covers topics such as folklore, theology, and mythology. Of course, in the Service's experience, the latter two are often indistinguishable. The Archives was not originally part of the Research division, existing on its own in a sort of nebulous situation. It was moved to its current status in 1850.
The head of the Archives carries the title Chief Archivist, for the reason noted above. The current Chief Archivist is Erma Tipple, who is pro temp until the return of Joshua Lattimore.