I am Professor of Palaeontology at the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences at University College Cork. I teach modules in geoscience, palaeontology and evolution from 1st to 4th year of our undergraduate degree programme, plus science communication skills at postgraduate level.

My primary research interests are in the field of soft tissue preservation in fossils, with particular focus on fossil colour and on feather evolution. I use advanced microbeam and spectroscopic techniques to explore the ultrastructure and chemistry of soft tissues in fossils and their extant analogues, with a strong emphasis on taphonomic experiments to help bridge the gap between ancient and modern materials. My current research on ancient biomolecules, including melanin and keratin, is supported in part by two ERC grants (Starting and Consolidator Grants). I’m committed to public engagement to help diversify palaeontology and STEM more broadly and to inspire an appreciation of the natural world amongst the public.