The Palaeobiology and Evolution theme uses fossil evidence combined with modern biological, statistical, and specimen-based approaches to understand the evolution of life on planet Earth. Our research targets the assembly of modern biodiversity using deep time and extant data that is studied in a rigorous mathematical framework, and is focused on groups with well-constrained phylogenies and rich fossil records (e.g. vertebrates, arthropods, foraminifera).
We aim to understand the processes governing evolutionary change on long timescales, and how biodiversity responds to changing climatic regimes. The Department has a strong relationship with the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, which has world-leading palaeontology and zoological collections and hosts a community of postdoctoral research fellows and DPhil students.
