معرفی
Thomas J. Smith is a Stipendiary Lecturer in Earth Sciences at the University of Oxford and a Postdoctoral Research Assistant affiliated with Exeter College. His research focuses on computational palaeobiology, integrating traditional methods with simulation tools to address gaps in the fossil record. Current research priorities include the Bivalve-Brachiopod transition, the Cambrian explosion, and eukaryotic morphological disparity.
He holds a PhD in Geology from the University of Bristol (2018-2022), supervised by Professors Philip C. J. Donoghue and Davide Pisani, alongside an MSci in Marine Biology (First Class) from the University of Southampton (2012-2016). His teaching spans palaeobiology, marine biology, and R programming.
Smith develops novel analytical techniques such as TREvoSim v3, an individual-based evolutionary simulation tool. His work highlights how fossilization biases affect disparity analyses and explores ecosystem engineering impacts via eco-evolutionary simulations. Recent studies reveal functional convergence in crocodile-line archosaurs and demonstrate how phylogenetic sampling influences morphological disparity interpretations.
His research bridges computational modeling with empirical paleontological data, addressing foundational questions in macroevolutionary patterns and processes.
