TW:eed Project - Southampton

University of Southampton

The team at Southampton is working with that at Leicester University on the Sedimentological and Palynological Frameworks, which will feed into Stratigraphical and Palaeontological Frameworks with environmental and climate data, as well as the dating of localities where specimens have been found.

Professor John Marshall

John Marshall’s recent work has focused on understanding Mid-Palaeozoic biotic events, palaeoclimates and marine to terrestrial teleconnections. The international dimension of his Devonian research is emphasised by projects in East Greenland, sub-polar Urals, Bolivia, Falkland Islands and China. Other Devonian research highlights include marine Devonian sediments in Scotland, progymnosperm heterospory, seed origins and the age relationships of the early tetrapods. He is Secretary of the Sub-Commission on Devonian Stratigraphy, Past-President of the Commission Internationale de la Microflore du Paléozoïc (CIMP) and a subject editor of the Journal of the Geological Society, London.

Emma Reeves

Emma Reeves joined the team as Research Assistant in September 2013. She will be using information from plant spores to assist with the development of a new quantitative palynostratigraphy for the earliest Carboniferous and helping to develop an integrated environmental model and a refined spore/ostracod zonation scheme. Emma studied Geology with Biology at Royal Holloway College , London and has just completed her MRes in Vertebrate Palaeontology at the University of Southampton.

Dave Carpenter

Dave Carpenter is examining the distribution and physical characteristics of charcoal within the Burnmouth section, in order to reconstruct wildfire activity during Romer's Gap. This will provide insights into atmospheric oxygen content during the Tournaisian, and forms part of a NERC-funded PhD project entitled "Charcoal, forests, and Earth's Palaeozoic geochemical oxygen cycle" Dave studied Geological Sciences at the University of Leeds, and completed his MSc in Palaeobiology at the University of Bristol.