PhD: Evolution and palaeobiology of the armoured dinosaurs

Fossils of the armoured dinosaurs (Thyreophora) are found worldwide during the Mesozoic, but much remains unknown about their evolution. The aim of this project is to use observations of fossil material and state-of-the-art computational techniques to produce the first phylogeny of Thyreophora. This will be used to examine the tempo and mode of evolution, when and how key innovations evolved, and to interrogate existing palaeogeographic scenarios based on geological data alone. Examining these processes in deep time informs our understanding of how modern ecosystems develop, how new species evolve, and, crucially for ecologists and conservationists, how they go extinct.