Paleontology imperial college london

I seek to characterize the environments in which dinosaur fossils are found in order to better understand the tempo and mode of dinosaur evolution, and I built the first chronostratigraphic framework for the Morrison Formation, western USA.

Current projects include examining niche partitioning and evolution through time in Morrison dinosaurs, the stratigraphy, sedimentology and dinosaurs of the Wealden Supergroup, UK, and Middle Jurassic environments in the Middle Atlas Mountains of Morocco. The fossil record is pervasively biased by geological and human factors. In this research programme, I examine and quantify sources of fossil record bias with the aim of assessing the quality of the fossil record and whether it can reveal true biodiversity patterns of the past.

Current projects include a new method for quantifying spatial bias, how taxonomic sampling affects palaeobiodiversity, and biodiversity patterns in the Late Cretaceous Western Interior region, USA. I'm also the curator of the dinosaur, fossil crocodylomorph and basal archosauromorph collections.

Royal Society Open Science , 7 12 : - Palaeontology , 63 6 : - Gondwana Research , 77 : 82 - Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History , : 1 - 1. Royal Society Open Science , 6 11 : - Journal of Sedimentary Research , 89 10 : - Acta Palaeontologica Polonica , 64 : doi: Maidment S Theropods on top. Raven TJ, Maidment SCR null The systematic position of the enigmatic thyreophoran dinosaurParanthodon africanus, and the use of basal exemplifiers in phylogenetic analysis.

PeerJ , 6 : e - e Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology , 38 1 : e - e Journal of Iberian Geology , 43 3 : - Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology , 37 5 :. Palaeontology , 60 3 : - Proceedings of the Geologists' Association , 3 : - Elsevier : - PhD candidate at Imperial College London studying the neurocranial morphology of placoderms to investigate their relationships and their role in the evolution of vertebrates edit.

Martin Brazeau edit. The role of the forelimb in prey capture in the Late Triassic reptile Megalancosaurus Diapsida, Drepanosauromorpha more. The pectoral girdle and forelimb of the Late Triassic drepanosauromorph reptile Megalancosaurus are redescribed and their function reinterpreted.

The whole skeleton of this diapsid is highly specialised for arboreal life, and also the The whole skeleton of this diapsid is highly specialised for arboreal life, and also the peculiarities of the shoulder girdle and forelimb were interpreted as adaptations for a limb-based locomotion using gap-bridging to move from one support to another, as in chameleons.

Re-examination of the pectoral girdle and forelimb revealed the presence of clavicles fused into a furcula-like structure, a saddle-shaped glenoid and a tight connection between the radius and ulna that strengthened the forearm but hindered pronation and supination movements at that joint.

The new information plus a reconstruction of the pectoral and forelimb musculature suggests that the forelimb was also specialised for grasping and raking in addition to climbing and thus prey capture may have been an important function for the forelimb.

King's College London. Royal Veterinary College University of London. Universities for Paleontology near London Distance, km. Biology subfields in London Agricultural Science Animal Science 6. Astrobiology 8. Biochemistry Bioinformatics and Computational biology 9. Biophysics 8. Biotechnology 8. Botany 8. Entomology 7. Evolutionary Biology 8.