Current Committee Role:
Journal Editor, Geological Curator
About Me:
I am a Collections Manager in Earth Collections at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. I am responsible for the day-to-day management of the Museum’s mineralogy and petrology collections, and parts of the invertebrate palaeontology collections. My role includes: managing the storage and conservation of the collections; developing the collections through new acquisitions, documentation and digitisation; answering public enquiries; and, facilitating research visits and loans. I also have a significant role in developing new exhibitions and displays from temporary exhibitions like First Animals to major new permanent displays.
I started my career with an MGeol in Geology with Palaeobiology from the University of Leicester, and completed a PhD at the University of Bristol using pioneering Synchrotron Radiation X-Ray Tomographic Microscopy to reveal the internal structure of the first vertebrate and brachiopod skeletons. Prior to moving into a collections-focussed role in 2020 I held a number of a postdoctoral research positions, most recently as a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at the Museum of Natural History. I continue to conduct research through a range of collaborative projects. My research interests are focused on: using the fossil record to understand the early evolution of animals, in particular their skeletons; how decay and preservation bias our understanding of exceptionally preserved fossils; and, the anatomy and evolution of the first vertebrates.
I joined GCG committee in 2022 as the editor of the journal Geological Curator and am the first contact for journal submissions and queries, and always open to suggestions for special editions. I am also a Fellow of the Geological Society of London, and a member of The Palaeontological Association, The Russel Society and NatSCA.
You can also find me on Twitter.