MSc (Research) Earth Sciences - Palaeobiology

University of Birmingham

The Earth Sciences Research MSc facilitates independent research. Our research groups focus on the following themes: palaeobiology, palaeoclimatology, plate tectonics and volcanic processes. Focus is on independent research with minimal taught content. Training depends on supervisory capacity and research group interests. Submit a well-formulated proposal, followed by an interview. Additional bench fees or lab costs may apply. Our palaeobiology research explores the evolution and diversity of life through deep time. The palaeobiology research theme at Birmingham spans an extraordinary range of biological, temporal and spatial scales. Our research theme includes world-leading systematists and palaeoecologists specializing in organisms ranging from single-celled algae to the largest vertebrates to have walked the Earth (as well as the plants they ate). Researchers have made fundamental contributions to understanding the evolution and diversity of life on Earth, such as the radiation of the earliest fish, the origins of terrestrial vegetation, patterns of dinosaur diversity and the long-term evolution of marine phytoplankton. We have strong synergies and overlap with palaeoenvironmental geochemists and paleoclimatologists within the Geosystems research group and are actively pursuing research into the complex inter-relationships between the Earth’s biosphere, climate and environment.