meet the team
The Liu Early Life Lab is based in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Cambridge, U.K. Interests of lab members span Ediacaran macrofossils, Cryogenian glacial events, Proterozoic depositional environments, and the early evolution of animals and their behaviours.
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR alex liu
Alex is a palaeobiologist whose research focuses primarily on the fossil record of the late Ediacaran Period. He employs analytical and field-based techniques to study aspects of early animal palaeoecology, evolution, and taphonomy. He lectures on sedimentology and palaeobiology at the University of Cambridge, and is the Christine McKie Fellow in Natural Sciences at Girton College, Cambridge.
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DR brennan o'connell
Brennan is a PDRA on a project looking to decipher the environmental context for a late Ediacaran mass extinction, funded by the Leverhulme Trust. Brennan is a sedimentary geologist interested in Neoproterozoic reefs, tidal deposits, and nearshore facies models before the evolution of land plants. She completed her PhD at the University of Melbourne, Australia, before moving to the U.K. in April 2022.
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Katie delahooke
Katie is a fourth year PhD student, and joined the group following a combined Geology/Biology degree at the University of St. Andrews. She is investigating aspects of the spatial palaeoecology of frondose taxa from fossil assemblages in Newfoundland, Canada, by using and developing a range of techniques including spatial point process analyses, computational fluid dynamics, and texture analyses. Katie is co-supervised by Dr Emily Mitchell (Cambridge), and funded by a NERC C-CLEAR DTP studentship.
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Philip vixseboxse
Phil is a third year PhD student on our Leverhulme Trust funded project. Following completion of his Palaeobiology MSc degree at the University of Bristol, he is now investigating the taphonomy of Ediacaran macrofossils, using petrological, proteomic, and experimental methods. He is co-supervised by Dr Sean McMahon (University of Edinburgh).
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ELKAN UTONI
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Elkan is completing a MSc degree at the University of Namibia (UNAM), on top of his full time job as a geoscientist at the Geological Survey of Namibia. He is co-supervised by Prof. Collen-Issia Uahengo of UNAM, and his research project, funded by the Cambridge-Africa ALBORADA Research Fund, is exploring the palaeoecology of a new matground community of Ediacaran organisms from southern Namibia.
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IRIS POWELL and BUCK BLAKE
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Iris and Buck joined us in October 2023 as Part III (Earth Sciences 4th year undergraduate) students. Their projects investigate Cambrian palaeogeography and Ediacaran tubular fossils from Namibia respectively.
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VISITING RESEARCHERS: dr xiaopeng wang and MR CHENGXI WU
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Dr Xiaopeng Wang arrived in Cambridge in September 2023, and will be with us for two years on a CSC-funded postdoctoral position. His PhD research at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, CAS, focused on new taxa from the late Ediacaran Shibantan Member of the Dengying Fm., and the Miaohe and Lantian biotas, South China.
Chengxi Wu joined us in November 2023, and will be in Cambridge for one year on a CSC-funded scholarship as part of his PhD at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology. His PhD is investigating aspects of the taphonomy and frondose fossils of the Shibantan Member, South China. |
LAB ALUMNI
PhD students
Dr Frankie Dunn (2015-2019) Currently a Senior Researcher at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.
Dr Ben Tindal (2018-2022) Currently a Senior Specialist for Natural England.
Masters students
Catherine Boddy (2019-20) Currently a PhD student in our group in Cambridge.
Erin Leahy (2019-20) Currently working as a Geotechnical Engineer.
Anna McGairy (2019-20) Currently a PhD student at the University of Leicester, U.K.
Alavya Dhungana (2018-19) Currently a PhD student at the University of Durham, U.K.
Dr Christos Psarras (2015) Completed a PhD on molluscan palaeontology at the University of Athens, Greece.
Dr Frankie Dunn (2015-2019) Currently a Senior Researcher at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.
Dr Ben Tindal (2018-2022) Currently a Senior Specialist for Natural England.
Masters students
Catherine Boddy (2019-20) Currently a PhD student in our group in Cambridge.
Erin Leahy (2019-20) Currently working as a Geotechnical Engineer.
Anna McGairy (2019-20) Currently a PhD student at the University of Leicester, U.K.
Alavya Dhungana (2018-19) Currently a PhD student at the University of Durham, U.K.
Dr Christos Psarras (2015) Completed a PhD on molluscan palaeontology at the University of Athens, Greece.