Martin J. Head

Martin J. Head is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at Brock University, where he has been a faculty member since 2005. He holds affiliations with the University of Cambridge, where he is a Life Member of Wolfson College, and maintains a status-level professorship at the University of Toronto. His research focuses on palynology and stratigraphy, particularly marine dinoflagellate cysts and the formal subdivision of the Quaternary Period.

His research interests include the deep-sea record from ODP and DSDP sites, Eemian and Plio-Pleistocene palynology in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean regions, high-latitude Cenozoic palynology, and the morphology, taxonomy, and nomenclature of dinoflagellates. He is deeply involved in international stratigraphic initiatives, contributing to the definition of geological boundaries such as the Quaternary base and the Early–Middle Pleistocene transition.

His recent publications demonstrate a strong trend in formal stratigraphic definitions, paleoenvironmental reconstructions using dinoflagellate cysts, and Anthropocene research. His work spans biostratigraphy, paleoclimatology, and taxonomic systematics, with a focus on integrating biological and geological data for chronostratigraphic precision.

• Chair, ICS Subcommission on Quaternary Stratigraphy (2012–present)
• Chair, Canadian Stratigraphy Commission (2010–present)
• Associate Editor, Journal of Paleontology (2004–present)
• Editorial Board Member, Palynology, Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, and Boreas

Professor Head has supervised numerous graduate students at Brock University, the University of Cambridge, and the University of Toronto, including PhD and MSc candidates working on dinoflagellate cysts, Quaternary stratigraphy, and paleoenvironmental analysis. His research has been supported by international collaborations and contributions to major stratigraphic working groups.

He leads research activities within the Quaternary Palaeoenvironments Group at the University of Cambridge and maintains active laboratory and field-based research in marine sediment analysis, contributing to global paleoenvironmental databases and taxonomic standards.