My Research interests

range across functional morphology, palaeobiology, palaeoecology and taxonomy. Ongoing conodont projects include: developing tooth microwear analysis of feeding in fishes and dinosaurs; the evolution of complexity in vertebrates; aspects of the taphonomy and fauna of the Silurian Eramosa Lagerstatte.  This involves collaborations with colleagues in the UK, USA, China and Canada.  I supervise postgraduate research on palaeobiology, palaeoecology and taphonomy of conodonts, ornithiscian dinosaurs, fish tooth microwear, hydrodynamics and locomotion of armoured jawless fishes, and plesiosaur systematics and palaeobiology.

• Experimental decay of onychophorans - lobopodian anatomy and arthropod origins (with Sarah Gabbott; Research assistant - Duncan Murdock)
• The problem of vertebrate origins - comparative taphonomy of non-biomineralised chordates and the meaning of gaps in the fossil record (with Sarah Gabbott; Research assistant - Rob Sansom)
• Using tooth wear to impose ecological constraints on isotopic and biostratigraphic analyses based on conodonts (with David Jones (RA))
  
• Bridging the gap between ecological and evolutionary timescales: tooth wear, niche differentiation and speciation in living and fossil fishes (with Paul Hart, Biology)
  

Duncan Murdock, PDRA 2011-2012

Laurent Darras, RA 2010-2013

Rob Sansom, PDRA 2008-2011

David Jones, PDRA 2008-2009

David Baines, PGRA 2003-2008

• Current: Laura McLenna, Tooth wear and microtextural analysis as a tool for dietary discrimination in sharks
  
• Current: Oliver Knevitt, Taphonomy and palaeobiology of an exceptionally preserved Silurian Biota - the Eramosa Lagerstätte
• Current: Laurent Darras, The evolution and macroecological consequences of grazing and shell crushing in fishes
• 2012: Mark Evans, Anatomy and palaeobiology of plesiosaurs
• 2010: Vince Williams, Tooth microwear, feeding and dietary evolution in ornithischian dinosaurs
• 2010: David Baines, Tooth microwear in living and fossil fishe
• 2009: Ben Davies (MPhil), Hydrodynamics and swimming in extinct jawless fishes
• 2006: David Jones, Morphometric Analysis of Conodonts
• 2004: Natalie Thomas, Taphonomy of the Bear Gulch Lagerstätte
• 2000: Stephanie Barrett, The function, histology & classification of selected prioniodontid conodonts
• 1999: Kim Freeman, Aspects of the taphonomy of jawless vertebrates
• 1996: Philip Donoghue, The architecture, Growth and function of ozarkodinid conodonts

I am always on the look-out for good students interested in research projects linked to my areas of research. If you have a project in mind, drop me an email. Currently advertised PhD projects include:

• 3D microtextural analysis of tooth wear in fishes and killer whales - developing a robust tool for dietary and trophic analysis in living and fossil aquatic vertebrates