Matthew L. Staitis

Matthew L. Staitis is an Associate Tutor in the Faculty of Science at the University of East Anglia (UEA), based in the School of Environmental Sciences and the Stable Isotope Laboratory (ENVSIL). He holds a PhD in Environmental Sciences from UEA and completed a BSc Honours in Geology at the University of Glasgow, followed by a MScR in Palaeontology and Geobiology at the University of Edinburgh. His research focuses on reconstructing past climatic events, particularly the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), using foraminiferal micropaleontology, geochemistry, and multi-proxy approaches to study abrupt global warming impacts.

Education:

• BSc Geology, University of Glasgow
• MScR Palaeontology and Geobiology, University of Edinburgh

Research interests include palaeoclimatology, micropalaeontology, and geochemistry. He investigates the PETM as a geological analogue for modern climate change, emphasizing integrated data from shallow marine settings. His work addresses gaps in understanding climatic and biotic responses to hyperthermal events using δ¹⁸O, Mg/Ca ratios, and clumped isotopes.

External roles include a Research Assistant position at Heriot-Watt University (2022), participation in the ECORD Summer School (2021), and volunteer roles in the PhanTASTIC project (2021). He contributes to societies like the Geological Society of London and the UK Paleoclimate Society, serving as its Web & Social Media Officer.

His research outputs span collaborative projects on microfossil data reusability and global sea surface temperature databases, advancing climate model accuracy through interdisciplinary methods.