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

David Baines, PGRA 2003-2008

David Jones, PDRA 2008

Rob Sansom, PDRA 2008-2011

Laurent Darras, PGRA 2011-2013

Duncan Murdock, PDRA 2011-2012

Current: Laura McLennan, Tooth microwear and dietary discrimination in chondrichthyans

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

Current: Mark Evans, Anatomy and palaeobiology of plesiosaurs

2010: David Baines, Tooth microwear in living and fossil fishes

2010: Vince Williams, Tooth microwear, feeding and dietary evolution in ornithischian dinosaurs

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

I am always on the look out for good students interested in research projects linked to my interests. 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 tropic analysis in living and fossil aquatic vertebrates

• Palaeobiology and evolution of exceptionally preserved cavusgnathid conodont vertebrates from the UK and North America