Dr Dr James Witts AHEA

My research primarily seeks to understand the diversity, ecology, and evolution of ancient marine ecosystems and how these were affected by global-scale environmental changes such as mass extinction events. These events and the fossil record offer the only empirical dataset of how life on our planet has responded to rapid global change, and I therefore use these events to help better understand future changes to marine ecosystems and their resilience.

I use macrofossil, microfossil, and geological data collected on focused fieldwork as well as museum collections and applied techniques like stable isotope geochemistry.

I have a particular interest in the nature and timing of the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction and recovery, arguably the most rapid period of environmental change prior to the 'Anthropocene'.