I am fascinated by the bidirectional interplay between plankton biology and the Earth’s climate over geological timescales.
My research interests span palaeobiology, taxonomy, biomineralisation and geological applications of coccolithophores – a group of marine calcifying algae that have a pivotal role in the functioning of the carbon cycle over geologic time and a fossil record stretching back 220 million years ago.
In my current research, I use a range of palaeontological/palaeobiological techniques and state-of-the-art light and electron microscopy to better understand the recent evolutionary history and diversity of this phytoplankton group. Coupling these approaches, my ambition is to determine the interaction between morphological signals within deep oceanic sediments and of genetic variation in extant organisms to create a robust taxonomic framework for detecting changes in past and present phytoplankton communities.
In a broader sense, I aim to shed light on the evolutionary processes driving speciation in the open oceans as well as the adaptation patterns of marine protists to past and future environmental change.
