Academic CV

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[CLICK HERE] for a full list of my publications

[CLICK HERE] to obtain a PDF copy of my CV (including publications)

CURRENT AND PREVIOUS ACADEMIC POSITIONS (reverse chronological order)

  • PROFESSOR – Northwest University, China. February 2019 – Present
  • POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER – University of Kansas, USA. September 2016 – September 2018
  • POSTDOCTORAL ASSOCIATE – Yale University, USA. February 2016 – August 2016
  • LECTURER – Macquarie University, Australia. July 2013 – December 2014
  • RESEARCH FELLOW –  Macquarie University, Australia. January–December 2012
  • RESEARCH FELLOW – University of New South Wales, Australia. March 2009 – January 2010
  • COLLECTIONS OFFICER  – Australian Museum, Australia. January 2006- August 2008

RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS

A full list of my publications can be found either on my Contributions page [CLICK HERE] or by accessing Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=1u3axhQAAAAJ&hl=en

RESEARCH FUNDING AND AWARDS

  • RMB$10000000 – Thousand Talents Program. Using metabolic rate to link the Cambrian Substrate Revolution to the Cambrian Radiation. 2019
  • AU$24,500 – Endeavour Research Fellowship. Identifying the frequency of speciation modes in the fossil record. 2015
  • AU$48,000 – Australian Biological Resources Study Research Grant. Biodiversity and biogeography of benthic foraminifera from the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. 2015
  • AU$105,000 – Macquarie University Research Project. Speciation mechanisms in planktic Foraminifera. 2011
  • AU$75,000 – University of New South Wales Research Centre Project. Using microfossils to identify palaeo-tsunami. 2009
  • AU$1,000 – Australian Biological Resources Study Grant. Agglutinated foraminifera from inner neritic sand and mud facies of the Papuan lagoon New Guinea. Australian Biological Resources Study. 2006
  • US$1,000 – Cushman Foundation for Foraminiferal Research Grant. Holocene foraminifera from the reefs surrounding Viti Levu, Fiji Islands: a test of the FORAM Index. 2006
  • AU$5,500 – Macquarie University Postgraduate Research Fund. Extant Foraminiferal Faunas from Estuarine Deposits in Eastern Australia: analogues for faunas from Australia’s Permian and Cretaceous Inland Seas. 2003
  • AU$54,000 – Australian Postgraduate Award. Distribution of agglutinated Foraminifera from modern estuarine environments: analogues for faunas from Australia’s Permian and Cretaceous seas. 2003
  • AU$1,200 – Betty Mayne Scientific Research Fund for Earth Sciences. Foraminifera of Tuross Estuary and Coila Lake;Indicators of Estuarine Evolution. 2002 .

RESEARCH INTERESTS 

  • Marine Ecology/Palaeoecology (ecological distinctness of assemblages through time, ecological controls on species and trait distribution)
  • Evolutionary Biology (macroevolutionary dynamics, speciation mechanisms and evolutionary innovations)
  • Community Resilience to Natural Hazards (interpreting marine inundation events using palaeoecological data)
  • Marine and Coastal Geology / Coastal Processes (coastal evolution and change, contemporary shoreline processes, palaeoenvironmental reconstruction)

SKILLS AND EXPERTISE 

  • Data compilation and multivariate statistics
  • R programming language
  • Sample processing – including foraminifera, ostracods, molluscs, brachiopods, chitinozoans and pollen
  • Scientific writing and publication
  • Education & training

FIELD EXPERIENCE AND FIELD TECHNIQUES

  • Field experience in siliciclastic marine environments, tropical carbonate environments, deep-ocean environments, freshwater lakes, cool temperate settings and arid inland settings. Previous field sites include: eastern Australian coastline; Great Barrier Reef; Flinders Ranges; Gulf of Papua; Fiji; Samoa; Kansas; and northern Utah.
  • Sampling expertise includes use of grab samplers, shallow water coring (I have built both piston and vibra-corers), deep-ocean coring and collecting stratigraphic sections.

ACADEMIC TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Macquarie University (2001 – 2014)

  • BIOL261/GEOS235 Palaeontology
  • BIOL262 Evolution
  • BIOL373 Marine Ecology
  • BIOL379/GEOS428 Reef Evolution and Dynamics (Field Course)
  • BIOL381/ GEOS312 Invertebrate Palaeontology
  • BIOL382/GEOS397 Applied Palaeontology and Biogenic Sediments
  • BIOL399 Special Interest Topics in Biology
  • GEOS126 Marine Geoscience
  • GEOS 272 Earth’s Evolving Environment
  • GEOS427 Palaeoecology and Biogeography

University of Kansas (2016 – 2018)

  • Biology 225 Evolution and the History of Life

Northwest University (2019 – current)

  • The Use of Statistics in Paleontology

SERVICE TO MY DISCIPLINE

  • UNESCO-IOC International Tsunami Survey Team – I was the group palaeoecologist for the 2009 Samoa UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) post-tsunami survey team
  • Editorial Roles: I am a Review Editor in Palaeontology for the journals Frontiers in Earth Science and Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
  • Manuscript Peer Review: Recent journals I have reviewed manuscripts for include Biological Reviews, iScience and Progress in Physical Geography
  • Grant Application Review: Recent grant schemes I have reviewed for include the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
  • Conference Organising: Member of organising committee for the first International Palaeontological Congress (IPC) (2002); Member of organising committee for first Palaeo Down Under (PDU) conference (2000)

OUTREACH

  • Scientists in Schools Program – Scientist partner for the Australian government’s Scientists in Schools program. 2007 – 2013 
  • Science in the City – Scientist and Activity Developer for Australian Museum/Sydney University Science in the City Program. 2007 – 2008
  • Abbotsleigh Girls High School Coral Reef Program – Coordinator and lecturer for field based coral reef course for high school students. 2003 – 2017
  • Festival of Fossils – Instructor and workshop co-ordinator for the festival of fossils short course for high school teachers. 2002

MEDIA COMMUNICATION

2020 – New Scientist
2020 – The Conversation (Australia Edition)
2018 – The Conversation (US Edition)
2018 – 3AW Melbourne (Australian radio)
2018 – British Broadcasting Corporation (United Kingdom radio)
2018 – Capetalk (South African radio)
2018 – Chronicle Herald (Canadian newspaper)
2018 – CNN (United States television)
2018 – Haaretz (Israeli newspaper)
2018 – National Public Radio (United States radio)
2018 – La Repubblica (Italian newspaper)
2018 – Lawrence Journal World (United States newspaper)
2018 – The Conversation (United States media website)
2018 – Washington Post (United States newspaper)
2013 – The Sun-Herald (Australian newspaper)
2009 – Australian Broadcasting Corporation (Australian radio)
2006 – Daily Telegraph (Australian newspaper)
2006 – Today Show; Channel 9 (Australian television)
2006 – Totally Wild, Channel 10 (Australian television)