Helen Hughes

Helen Hughes is a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Plymouth's School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, within the Faculty of Science and Engineering. Her research focuses on Silurian and Devonian global environmental change, integrating geochemistry, trilobite faunas, and stratigraphy to understand ancient ecosystems and their responses to perturbations. She holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham (2010), a MEarthSci from the University of Manchester (2003), and has held roles at the University of Plymouth and Fugro-Robertson Limited.

Her key research interests include the application of isotope stratigraphy, carbonate microfacies analysis, and trilobite systematics to study environmental changes and their effects on benthic faunas. She has secured funding from the Geological Society, Palaeontological Association, and EU Synthesys programs for projects on Silurian calcite seas, Devonian mass extinctions, and North Greenland trilobites.

• Education: MEarthSci (First Class) in Earth Sciences (University of Manchester, 2003-2006)
• PhD: 'Palaeobiology of Silurian trilobites from North Greenland' (University of Birmingham, 2006-2010)

Her work spans collaborations on Silurian reef ecosystems, carbon isotope excursions, and late Devonian extinction events. Awards include the Philip Scanlon Travel Fund (2008) and multiple Palaeontological Association grants. Her research has been presented at international conferences, including the Fourth International Trilobite Conference (Spain) and IGCP 591 meetings.

• Labs/Teams: Active in interdisciplinary collaborations on stratigraphy and palaeoenvironmental reconstruction.