The following people are in this group:
Dr Jon Antcliffe Research Associate in Earth Sciences Tel. (0117) 954 5443 jon.antcliffe@bristol.ac.uk
Ms Naomi Apostolaki Geology (PhD) Tel. (0117) 954 5432 naomi.apostolaki@bristol.ac.uk
Professor Mike Benton Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology Tel. (0117) 954 5433 mike.benton@bristol.ac.uk
Dr Jen Bright Research Assistant Tel. (0117)3315219 j.bright@bristol.ac.uk
Mr David Button Geology (PhD) Tel. (0117) 954 5496 gldjb@bristol.ac.uk
Miss Aude Caromel Geology (PhD) Tel. (0117) 3315198 aude.caromel@bristol.ac.uk
Mr Martin Chavez Hoffmeister Geology (PhD) Tel. (0117) 954 5496 glmfch@bristol.ac.uk
Mr Andrew Cuff Geology (PhD) Tel. (0117)3315239 andrew.cuff@bristol.ac.uk
Dr Kenneth De Baets Visiting Fellow kenneth.debaets@bristol.ac.uk
Professor Philip Donoghue Professor of Paleobiology Tel. (0117) 954 5440 phil.donoghue@bristol.ac.uk
Mr Alex Dunhill Research Associate Tel. (0117) 3315198 alex.dunhill@bristol.ac.uk
Mr Tony Hancy Geology (PhD) Tel. (0117) 954 5243 tony.hancy@bristol.ac.uk
Miss J.J. Hill Geology (PhD) Tel. (0117) 3315196 jh12519@bristol.ac.uk
Mr Joseph Keating Geology (PhD) Tel. (0117) 3315196 jk12521@bristol.ac.uk
Miss Sasidhorn Khansubha Geology (PhD) Tel. (0117) 954 5432 glysk@bristol.ac.uk
Dr Stefanie Klug Research Associate Tel. (0117)3314464 stefanie.klug@bristol.ac.uk
Mr Stephan Lautenschlager Geology (PhD) Tel. (0117)3315239 Tel. (0117) 954 5427 glzsl@bristol.ac.uk
Mr Qingyu Ma Geology (PhD) Tel. (0117) 3315196 qm12522@bristol.ac.uk
Dr Jeremy Martin Marie Curie Fellow Tel. (0117) 954 5368 j.e.martin@bristol.ac.uk
Dr Carlos Martinez-Perez Visiting Fellow; Marie Curie Research Fellow Tel. (0117)3315219 carlos.martinez-perez@bristol.ac.uk
Mr Benjamin Moon Geology (PhD) Tel. (0117) 954 5432 benjamin.moon@bristol.ac.uk
Mr Duncan Murdock Research Assistant Tel. (0117) 3315211 duncan.murdock@bristol.ac.uk
Miss Fleur Noailles Geology (PhD) Tel. (0117) 3315198 fleur.noailles@bristol.ac.uk
Dr Laura Porro Marie Curie Research Fellow Tel. (0117)3315239 laura.porro@bristol.ac.uk
Dr Imran Rahman NERC Research Fellow imran.rahman@bristol.ac.uk
Dr Emily Rayfield Reader in Palaeobiology Tel. (0117) 954 5644 e.rayfield@bristol.ac.uk
Mr Chris Rogers Palaeobiology (MSc); Geology (PhD) Tel. (0117) 3315196 cr8392@bristol.ac.uk
Dr Martin Ruecklin Research Associate Tel. (0117)3315219 m.ruecklin@bristol.ac.uk
Dr Marcello Ruta Research Associate Tel. (0117) 954 5379 m.ruta@bristol.ac.uk
Ms Sarda Sahney None Tel. (0117) 954 5246 s.sahney@bristol.ac.uk
Dr Manabu Sakamoto Research Associate in Earth Sciences Tel. (0117) 954 5421 m.sakamoto@bristol.ac.uk
Dr Daniela Schmidt Reader in Research Tel. (0117) 954 5414 d.schmidt@bristol.ac.uk
Mr Thomas Stubbs Geology (PhD) Tel. (0117) 954 5243 tom.stubbs@bristol.ac.uk
Dr James Tarver Visiting Fellow Tel. (0117) 3315211 james.tarver@bristol.ac.uk
Dr Jakob Vinther Lecturer; Lecturer jakob.vinther@bristol.ac.uk
Dr Stephane Westermann Research Fellow Tel. (0117) 954 5247 stephane.westermann@bristol.ac.uk
Our research is focused on the historical context of the current biodiversity crisis and the evolutionary assembly of organismal bodyplans.
We explore how modern biodiversity was established over geological timescales - from the immediate past on millennial timescales, to the very origins of animal diversity more than half a billion years ago.
Secondly, we explore the relationship between the evolutionary structure of biodiversity (phylogeny) and historical crises in biodiversity, including the Permian-Triassic, Cretaceous-Tertiary and Palaeocene-Eocene extinction events, and including their paleo-environmental context. Our research focuses most especially on vertebrates and members of the microplankton.
Groups such as birds and reptiles, vertebrates and invertebrates only appear distinct because their intermediates are extinct. Our research aims to reconstruct the sequence within which bodyplan characters of living clades were assembled through analysis of their extinct relatives.
We identify the functional adaptive basis of these changes within organisms and across clades using biomechanical and engineering approaches. We also seek the mechanistic bases of steps within bodyplan evolution through comparative analysis of the molecular genetic basis of development.
