The University of Queensland

Post-Doc, School of Earth Sciences

About

My major research contributions are clustered within the fields of Quaternary palaeoecology, palaeogeography, stratigraphy, and vertebrate and invertebrate taphonomy. Although a major focus of my studies have been on Australian late Pleistocene megafaunal extinctions, more recently, my research interests have expanded into using geochronology (principally U-series dating) to reconstruct and understand the timing and frequency of environmental perturbations and anthropogenic impacts on coral reefs.

The ability to answer questions regarding ancient populations and species may allow us to anticipate changes in modern ecosystems subject to environmental change. Environmental records that have been derived through the investigation of Quaternary environments and the mechanisms that have been proposed to account for the observed changes provide a vital resource for modelling an understanding of the global environment. Studies of Quaternary climate fluctuations and species extinction may have predictive value for assessing the effect of climate change on extant species.

Several major research concentrations have resulted:

- biology of megafaunal taxa (taxonomy, phylogeny, biostratigraphy);

- accumulation of megafaunal deposits (stratigraphy, sedimentology, taphonomy);

- palaeoecology of late Pleistocene vertebrate communities (analogies to modern vertebrate communities, palaeoclimatic indicators from sediments and faunas);

- dating Pleistocene megafauna deposits (using multidisciplinary techniques including biochronology and radiometric age dating).