This PhD project will study dinosaur footprints from the UK. Footprints can tell us much about dinosaurs that is not available from the skeletons that dominate our museums, such as how they moved, what environment they lived in, and what the ecosystem was like when, and where, they lived.
This project will:
• Examine the diversity of dinosaurs throughout the Mesozoic of the United Kingdom – how many types of dinosaur were in a given area at once? How does this compare with what the skeleton record tells us?
• Explore the range of formational and preservational variation in the footprint record – do biases in substrate type, for instance, have an effect on apparent diversity? To what extent can one foot make many types of footprint?
• Quantify the biomechanics (limb motions) among certain groups of dinosaurs – do theropod footprints from the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous indicate commonalities or differences, in how the animals moved.
To address these questions, the student will draw upon a supervisory team with expertise spanning biomechanics, shape analysis, and evolutionary diversity. Based within the School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, you will be part of a larger research group funded by UKRI Frontier Research Guarantee interested in dinosaur footprints and locomotion. The student will learn not only dinosaur palaeobiology, but will be trained in experimental and analytical techniques, including statistical analysis, 3D digitization and modelling, and lab-based experimental protocols. The result will be a PhD that provides training suitable for a wide range of academic and non-academic jobs after.
The Applicant: Desirable (but not essential) skills and experience include familiarity with 3D software (e.g. Blender), imaging techniques (Photogrammetry, CT), knowledge of biomechanics and/or substrate mechanics, and an understanding of diversity through time.
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