Herps (shorthand for reptiles and amphibians) are my main interest and primary research group. My ARC DECRA, started in January 2018, aims to identify community changes in the herpetological fossil record of Queensland in order to track evolutionary responses to environmental variation. Lizards and frogs are ideal for this approach since they 1) are present across multiple sites of varying ages and paleoclimates, 2) are taxonomically and morphologically diverse, and 3) already exhibit clear effects of global warming. They also responds differently to aridification – while many reptiles thrive in hot dry conditions, amphibians, being dependent on water for reproduction, tend to suffer.

My project uses a combination of independent, yet complementary approaches in vertebrate paleontology, animal systematics, and evolutionary biology to reconstruct these ancient events, including X-ray computed tomography (CT), geometric morphometrics, and computational modelling.