Deep-time Ecology
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We work on understanding how ecology impacts evolution through deep-time from the origins of animals to the present. The first animal communities are found in the Ediacaran time period, 580 million years ago. The oldest of these communities consisted of sessile benthic organisms that lived in the deep-sea. Therefore, to understand how macro-ecology has changed through deep-time, we study a wide range of different benthic communities from the fossil record and in the modern Antarctic and deep-sea. Using statistical and theoretical models we reconstruct how species interacted with each other and their environment and explore how these relationships influence macro-evolutionary patterns over the last 580 million years.
If you are interested in joining us, get in touch! There are opportunities for undergraduate, post-graduate and research fellowships within the group. For undergraduates, competitive funding is available through Palass with a deadline of 1st February each year, so contacting us December/early January is good. Post-graduate applications are processed through the University of Cambridge and the Zoology department with a deadline of ~7th January each year. American citizens have earlier funding deadlines of ~mid-October. Projects are listed here Zoology Projects. If you are interested in doing a PhD please do drop us an email a few months before the deadline to discuss options and how the application process works. Cambridge has a fantastic post-doc scheme known as Junior Research Fellowships (JRFs), which are run through our colleges. They last from 3 - 5 years and give you opportunity to develop your own independent research. There are around 25 available each year, with deadlines starting in September, then mostly in the autumn term, through the spring term. Some more details are found here, but do contact us to discuss them, and how to apply. |