Palaeobiology

The Palaeobiology research theme at Birmingham spans an extraordinary range of biological, temporal and spatial scales, and represents one of the largest clusters of palaeobiologists in the UK.

Our research theme includes world-leading palaeobiologists with expertise stretching from single-celled algae to the largest vertebrates to have walked the Earth, as well as the plants they ate. Researchers have made fundamental contributions to understanding the evolution and diversity of life on Earth, such as the radiation of the earliest fish, the origins of terrestrial vegetation, the diversity and palaeobiology of dinosaurs, the impacts of mass extinctions, and the long-term evolution of marine phytoplankton. We have strong synergies with the palaeoclimate research theme within the Earth Sciences Research Group, allowing us to explore the complex inter-relationships between the Earth’s biosphere, climate and environment.

The palaeobiology groupThe Palaeobiology Research Group

 

There are four key areas of research within the Palaeobiology theme:

Vertebrate Palaeontology

Teleocrater

Micropalaeontology

Assorted microfossils

Palaeobotany

Fossil leaf clusters

Geobiology

Carbonate Microbialite

Our staff and students

Academic Staff

Honorary staff

Postdoctoral researchers

  • Gemma Benevento
  • Terri Cleary
  • Roger Close
  • Christopher Dean
  • Emma Dunne
  • Thomas Halliday
  • Mariem Saavedra-Pellitero

PhD researchers and research assistants

Funding

Our research is funded through a diverse range of sources, including NERC, ERC, Marie Curie Actions, Leverhulme Trust, Royal Society and the Palaeontological Association. We actively encourage external collaborations, as well as welcoming and supporting fellowship applications. In recent years we have hosted Royal Society, NERC, Leverhulme Trust and Royal Commission of 1851 Fellows. For further information please contact any relevant member of academic staff and see opportunities to get involved with the Earth Sciences community.

Public engagement

Public engagement represents a significant component of our work. The Palaeobiology group has very strong links to the Lapworth Museum of Geology, and played a key role in developing the new Museum exhibitions. We use the Museum’s temporary exhibition space to showcase our research. We frequently deliver public talks, events and educational sessions, in the Museum and further afield – please contact any member of academic staff if you are interested in having us come to talk to your group about our research.

Related courses

We offer a bespoke Palaeontology and Geology BSc/MSci programme.

Research-led teaching is a core part of our ethos, and we have an outstanding track record of helping our undergraduate and Masters students publish their research projects, present their work at conferences, and obtain funded PhD positions. 

The group includes a large, diverse and vibrant community of highly talented and motivated doctoral researchers, working on a broad range of field-, lab- and desk-based PhD projects. PhD opportunities are available annually through the CENTA doctoral training programme, and may also be advertised on an ad hoc basis as funding allows. We are always keen to talk to potential students about opportunities. We have an excellent track record of training our doctoral researchers for careers in palaeobiology, in museum, university and international research environments.

LATEST NEWS

Fossils excavated in the 1960s add missing link to crocodile evolution

Description
A set of Triassic archosaur fossils, excavated in the 1960s in Tanzania, have been formally recognised as a distinct species, representing one of the earliest-known members of the crocodile evolutionary lineage.
Date:
09/02/2022

30th British Organic Geochemical Society (BOGS) Annual Meeting

Description
Several members of the Birmingham Molecular Climatology Group presented their research at the 30th BOGS Annual Meeting at Manchester Metropolitan University in early July (9th to 11th).
Date:
05/08/2019

Search for clues to how life survives in one of the hottest places on Earth

Description
In January 2019, Yvette Eley and Tom Dunkley Jones travelled to Ethiopia to collect samples from the Danakil Depression in Ethiopia, one of the hottest places on Earth.
Date:
18/03/2019
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