Dr. Alex Liu     MESc (Oxon), D.Phil. (Oxon), FGS
Associate Professor in Palaeobiology, University of Cambridge
Christine Mckie Official Fellow in Natural Sciences, Girton College, Cambridge

I am a palaeobiologist with primary research interests in the fossil record of early animal life. The research conducted by my group currently includes investigation of the late Ediacaran fossil record (spanning the critical geological interval ~580 to 539 million years ago when large and complex organisms, including the earliest recognisable animals, diversified throughout the global oceans); the sedimentary record of glacial conditions through time; and the preservation of soft tissues in the rock record. By integrating biological, ecological, sedimentological and analytical approaches, I address questions relating to the early evolution of animals and the interplay between biological evolution and major environmental change.

I am an Associate Professor in Palaeobiology at the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge. Professional affiliations include being an Associate Editor for the Journal of Paleontology, and a Voting Member of the International Subcommission on Ediacaran Stratigraphy.

Additional web pages of interest

University of Cambridge Departmental profile

Lab group website: https://liuearlylife.weebly.com

Twitter: @the_palaeoninja

At Fish River Canyon, southern Namibia, 2022. Picture courtesy of W. McMahon.