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Research Fellow in Palaeontology, University of Portsmouth

I'm a palaeontological author, artist and researcher based on the south coast of the UK and affiliated with the University of Portsmouth. I'm best known for my research on pterosaurs and, more recently, my contributions to palaeoart - the evidence-led restoration of extinct organisms in drawings, paintings, sculpture and film.

My background is based more in scientific research than writing and artistry. I obtained my PhD from the University of Portsmouth in 2008 after three years of studying pterosaurs, the flying reptiles contemporaneous with non-avian dinosaurs. I remain active in pterosaur research, but since completing my thesis I've found myself employed more as an artist and consultant on the life appearance of extinct animals than as a traditional academic. My career has thus shifted focus to reconstructing extinct animals, and I now spend more of my time considering the history, methods and technical details of this topic than flying reptiles. I've been lucky to impart some of this knowledge to major media clients, with my creature designs and input being used by the BBC, National Geographic, Royal Mail and the Royal Mint. Alongside my papers, books and book chapters on palaeoart, I also post regularly about palaeoart topics at my blog. My artwork has been displayed around the world in venues such as the Natural History Museum, American Museum of Natural History, Yale Peabody Museum and London's South Bank.

Experience

  • –present
    Research Fellow , University of Portsmouth