Alex Liu

I am a Lecturer in Palaeobiology at the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, and am currently funded by a NERC Independent Research Fellowship. Professional affiliations include membership of the Palaeontological Association, the Geological Association of Canada, and the International Palaeontological Association. I am a Fellow of the Geological Society of London, and a Voting Member of the International Subcommission on Ediacaran Stratigraphy.

My research investigates fossils of the late Ediacaran Period, the critical geological interval between 580 and 541 million years ago when large and complex organisms diversified throughout the global oceans. I investigate aspects of the biology, ecology, and evolution of Ediacaran organisms in an attempt to better understand both the initial radiation of complex organisms and ecosystems, and the interplay between biological evolution and major environmental change. I have conducted research at several localities around the world, but my primary field sites are in eastern Newfoundland, Canada. By combining extensive annual fieldwork with study of fossil preservation, geochemistry, and sedimentology, I strive to further knowledge of early animal evolution.