Dr Nicolás Campione
Lab Leader Senior Lecturer in Palaeobiology ARC DECRA Research Fellow Collection Manager, UNE Earth Sciences Chair, Australasian Palaeontologists (AAP) Associate Editor (Paleobiology) Nic's research goals are reflected in those of the research group, on quantifying macroevolutionary patterns in the fossil record and interpreting evolutionary and extinction dynamics. Most of his work is on dinosaurs, theirs sizes, and, more recently, their feeding ecology. UNE Profile Page Contact: ncampion[a]une.edu.au X: @PaleoNic Prospective Students: I am always keen to hear from prospective students with a strong interest in palaeobiology and proven track record. If this is you, I encourage you to email me (although I may be slow to reply) and consider submitting a formal expression of interest to UNE.
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PhD Students
Sherri Donaldson
Primary Supervisor: Dr Marissa Betts, University of New England Sherri’s PhD builds on her Masters project of using freshwater mollusc fauna (gastropods and bivalves) and flora from the Griman Creek Formation in Lightning Ridge, NSW, to reconstruct the palaeoecology of the formation during the Cenomanian (100–96 Ma). Sherri's thesis uses a multidisciplinary approach to answer the following questions: what lived within these waterways? How they exploited their ecological niches? And what were the trophic interactions? Her project integrates taxonomy (using >20,000 mollusc specimens available in collections), morphometrics, sedimentology, and palaeobotany to improve our model of this region 100 Ma ago. |
Timothy Frauenfelder
Timothy is a PhD student working on understanding dinosaur diets through the use of biomechanics. His interests are in tooth morphology, biomechanics and palaeoecology. He previously completed an honours year where he described sauropod teeth from Lightning Ridge, NSW and identified possible feeding strategies using SEM. His current ongoing projects aside from his PhD work is the exploration of a new field site within the Griman Creek Formation and how it relates with the Lightning Ridge fauna of the same formation. X: @tfrauenf |
Justin Kitchener
Interpreting behaviour in the fossil record is a major challenge, but one worthy of exploration if one is to understand the biology of long-extinct taxa. Justin's project explores the various anatomical proxies that can be used to infer digging (burrowing) behaviours in dinosaurs, and the role such behaviours may have played in shaping the anatomy of dinosaurs. |
Nathan Enriquez
Primary Supervisor: Dr Phil Bell, University of New England Nathan’s PhD is focused on investigating the structure, morphology and preservation of dinosaur skin in the fossil record, with a particular interest in scale functional morphologies, skin ontogeny, and understanding the factors that increase the preservation potential of skin. Current projects of his include testing the function of sauropod scale papillae, skin growth in the ceratopsid Chasmosaurus, investigating the apparent bias towards hadrosaurid skin preservation in the fossil record, and more broadly, tracing the evolutionary history of dinosaur integumentary states across space, time and phylogeny. |
Amber Whitebone
Primary Supervisor: Dr Phil Bell, University of New England Amber is an international PhD candidate from Canada, developing a new, quantitative palaeohistological framework. Her research involves modifying current histological workflows for the subsequent implementation of liquid crystal polarimetry. This new quantitative imaging approach permits the measurement of microscopic changes in bone fiber architecture and density. By adapting this imaging technique for fossil bone, Amber aims to elucidate the effects of growth, mechanical loading, and pathology on ancient organisms. |
MSc Students
Zak Hayman
Zak's MSc project is primarily focused on identifying the (mostly) vertebrate remains from a site within the Winton Formation, QLD which appears to produce both marine and freshwater organisms in an attempt to interpret this palaeoenvironmental riddle. Emphasis will be placed on the shark teeth recovered from this site and the utility they can provide. |
Emil Herbert
Emil's Master's research focuses on the taxonomy of sharks in the mid Cretaceous Rolling Downs Group, a time when much of eastern Australia was covered by the Eromanga Sea. This research is a continuation of their honours work on the first taxonomic descriptions of shark teeth in the Griman Creek Formation, on fossils from Surat (Queensland), and unique opalised shark teeth from Lightning Ridge (NSW). Fossil shark teeth are an important tool for reconstructing palaeoenvironmental conditions and broader palaeoecology, as well as potential use in biostratigraphy. X: @herbertologist |
Honours Students
Michael Willis
Michael is currently an Honours student with a keen interest in the Mesozoic. In particular, dinosaurs and their subsequent evolution into birds. For his honours, he will be exploring theropod teeth and their connection to ecology and growth. In particular, he seeks to test the ontogenetic niche shifting hypothesis, which stipulates changes in ecological roles as an animal groups. To this end, he will be using Gorgosaurus libratus, a tyrannosaurid from North America, as a model. |
Please contact me if you are interested in completing an honours thesis, or visit UNE Honours and download the Project Book.
Past Members
Eleanor Beidatsch (Honours)
Emil Herbert (Honours)
Dr Sienna Birch (Postdoc)
Dr Russell Bicknell (Postdoc)
Olivia Devereaux (MSc)
Kai Allison (Honours)
Ebony James (Honours)
Hayden Henderson (Honours)
Brayden Holland (MSc)
Dr Mohamad Bazzi (Uppsala University, PhD)
Nathan Enriquez (MSc)
Nick Hartnett (Honours)
Emil Herbert (Honours)
Dr Sienna Birch (Postdoc)
Dr Russell Bicknell (Postdoc)
Olivia Devereaux (MSc)
Kai Allison (Honours)
Ebony James (Honours)
Hayden Henderson (Honours)
Brayden Holland (MSc)
Dr Mohamad Bazzi (Uppsala University, PhD)
Nathan Enriquez (MSc)
Nick Hartnett (Honours)