Current Research

We use fossil evidence with modern biological and specimen imaging approaches to understand the evolution of life on our planet. Our work aims to understand the process of evolutionary change on long timescales and patterns of biodiversity during changing climates.

The Dawn of Animals

I am interested in understanding the nature of early animal evolution; its tempo and mode. I have specific interest in the ‘Ediacaran Macrobiota’, of which at least some represent the remains of ancient animals. However, they record long extinct bodyplans and their relationship to the later Cambrian faunas remains obscure. Understanding the palaeobiology of the Ediacaran Macrobiota, the relationship between Ediacaran and Cambrian faunas and the nature of the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition is the principal goal of my research.

Dr Frankie Dunn

NERC Independent Research Fellow

Jurassic Scotland

I study mammals, understanding how they acquired their unique characteristics. My research combines modern and fossil material. I digitally reconstruct skeletons using CT-scanning, quantitatively analysing bone morphology and testing correlations with locomotor capabilities. My findings can be applied to understand extinct animal movement. I work extensively with Scottish Jurassic fossils. This Period saw an explosion in diversity in multiple animal groups, and these fossils provide insights into the causes of those changes.

Dr Elsa Panciroli

Leverhulme Early Career Research Fellow

Insects in Amber

I study the palaeobiology of terrestrial arthropods, namely those preserved in Cretaceous amber. These studies, although grounded on morphology and systematics, aim to gather palaeoecological, palaeoethological, palaeobiogeographical, and taphonomic data. Recent works have tackled debris-carrying and hatching mechanisms in fossil insects, the fine anatomy of predatory structures such as raptorial forelegs, or evidence of ticks parasitising feathered dinosaurs 100 million years ago. Regular excavations are carried out in Spain.

Dr Ricardo Pérez-de la Fuente

Museum Deputy Head of Research

Conserving Species

Research in my lab addresses the origin, maintenance, and conservation of biological diversity. We integrate biological data with the fossil record to elucidate controls on community and species’ responses to environmental change. We are interested in what controls speciation, extinction, and species’ distributions. We also focus on conservation palaeobiology, applying the fossil record to current species conservation. We use a diverse toolkit, including modelling, statistics, genetics, and environmental reconstruction.

Associate Professor Erin Saupe

Associate Professor of Palaeobiology