John Backhouse

John Backhouse is an Honorary Research Fellow at the School of Earth and Oceans, University of Western Australia. With over 50 years of expertise in palynology, his career spans roles at the Geological Survey of Western Australia (1968–1998) and academic research at UWA since 1998. His work focuses on Cretaceous biostratigraphy, dinoflagellate cyst taxonomy, and Permian-Triassic stratigraphy across Australia and East Timor.

Research interests include biostratigraphic analysis of sedimentary basins, palynological techniques for chronological dating, and reconstructing ancient vegetation dynamics. Collaborative projects involve Tethys region geology and Gondwanan paleogeography. He has led or co-led three major grants addressing biostratigraphic frameworks in Western Australia and the Canning Basin.

Key contributions include integrating zircon U-Pb dating with palynological data to resolve Permian chronostratigraphy and advancing Triassic palynostratigraphy in under-sampled regions like Timor-Leste. His work supports sustainable resource exploration and contributes to UN SDGs through geoscientific insights.