I’m a evolutionary biologist with focus on using phylogentic comparate methods to understand the macroevolution of the vertebrate skeleton. I am particularly interested in geometric morphometrics, Bayesian evolutionary modelling, and understanding how trait covariation (e.g., modularity and integration) influences macroevolutionary tempo and mode.
I'm an evolutionary biologist and palaentologist hailing from Stoke-on-Trent in the UK. I use a multifaceted approach that combines 3D shape analysis with phylogenetic comparative methods and functional morphology to understand the evolution of form and function of the vertebrate skeleton across time and clades. I'm passionate about my science and about making it inclusive for everyone. The vertebral column is the defining feature of vertebrates, supporting the entire skeleton of over 50,000 species, so I've made it the defining feature of my career. My current focus is on the evolution of the neck in birds and dinosaurs. I'm currently working as a research technician within the lab, aiding other lab members on investigating the evolution of the avian and mammalian brain.
My main areas of interest are evolution, conservation and the crossover between them. My PhD centres on the effects of long-term captivity on extinct-in-the-wild species, with a focus on morphological, genetic and behavioural changes that may result from adaptation to captivity or reduced selection pressures. I aim to determine how these effects may impact a species’ recovery potential.
My research interests surround the craniofacial anatomy and its evolution, with a current focus on the wide gapes of snakes. I use 3D geometric morphometrics (Felice Lab, UCL) to analyse lower jaw shapes across Serpentes to determine the ecological factors which drive jaw trait differences. I also use immunohistochemical methods (Tucker Lab, KCL) to investigate the snake mandible during embryonic development to identify the biological mechanisms involved in shaping its distinctive form. Using this interdisciplinary approach, I aim to garner a better understanding of the complex development and evolutionary history of the mandible.
My research interests focus on using multivariate methods to take a more holistic approach in order to understand evolution across time. Particularly, focusing on 3D Morphometrics, Phylogenetics, and Biogeography and how they interact, in order to parse the story of evolution and biodiversity across the tree of life. My PhD focuses on a 3D morphometric analysis of Bird crania and brains, particularly an intra-specific analysis within domestic chickens, and an inter-specific analysis of Darwin's finches.
I am an evolutionary biologist who is interested in the diversity of form and what causes things evolve the range of shapes and sizes that we see in nature. I use 3D shape analysis and comparative phylogenetic techniques to explore shape within and between species, and have worked on groups as diverse as fishes, dinosaurs, mammals, birds, reptiles and butterflies. I am especially interested in the role that sexual selection plays in evolution, and what effects it has on speciation, extinction and the generation of sexually selected traits such as horns, ornaments and other display structures. I am currently exploring the evolution of the brain in birds and mammals, and what role the contrasting functions of skull shape and jaw musculature play in constraining its size and shape.
I am a statistical palaeontologist interested in using phylogenetic comparative methods to investigate common patterns of morphological evolution. I completed my PhD in 2018 on convergent evolution and how it relates to macroevolutionary patterns of organism’s diversity, phylogeny, and range of form (disparity). I have gone on to research evolutionary patterns of morphological complexity across tetrapods (Wills lab, University of Bath), as well as investigate the effects of body and brain size on bird diversification using Bayesian state-dependent speciation and extinction models (Felice lab, UCL). I am particularly interested in how common patterns in the morphological evolution of tetrapods have been shaped by biological constraint and environmental change. I am currently developing new methods to model the evolution of complex phenotypes, to investigate the correlated evolution of the skull and brain in birds and mammals.
