Palaeobiology

Our researchers include 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 radiations of the earliest fish, the origins of terrestrial vegetation, the diversity and palaeobiology of dinosaurs, the impacts of mass extinctions and longer-term environmental transitions on the evolution of marine plankton, and how such insights can help to mitigate the current biodiversity crisis.

We have a strong grounding in field- and specimen-based palaeontology, with our academics actively leading marine expeditions, field projects in the UK and internationally, and extensive museum collections research. This work is complemented by expertise in quantitative paleobiology, and contributions to global palaeobiological databases. We have a highly international outlook, with well-established research collaborations in China, the USA, Europe, Morocco and Brazil, among others. We are also leaders in digital palaeontology and functional morphology, with extensive experience of imaging techniques such as synchrotron and micro-computed tomography and drone-based photogrammetry. Our research has impact through extensive public engagement, geoheritage work around the conservation and management of palaeontological resources, and geoethics.

We have strong synergies with the Paleoclimatology and Palaeoceanography Group allowing us to explore the complex inter-relationships between the Earth’s biosphere, climate and environment.