| Short Biography |
My research lies at the interface between physical and life sciences: I use X-ray techniques and other novel approaches to investigate past life. Much of my work is based on the study of early land animals - in particular early insects and arachnids. These invertebrates are very important - insects comprise more than 60% of all described species, and of the remaining known species, arachnids make up more than a third. Despite this their early origins and evolution are poorly understood. Some of the earliest fossils of both groups are preserved in three dimensions, and I use high resolution CT scanning, digital visualisation, and other computational techniques to overcome the limitations of traditional techniques of study. This work reveals their anatomy in more detail than previously possible, and by using these approaches, I can build a clearer picture of the organisms’ palaeobiology, evolutionary relationships, and palaeoecology, as well as the the dynamics of the ecosystems to which they belonged. In addition to this focus, I collaborate on a range of topics that span disciplines and continents, united by a drive to develop new techniques to answer important questions on geological and evolutionary topics. |
