What inspired you to become a palaeontologist?
I have been interested in dinosaurs since a very young age. I used to read lots of picture books, watch dinosaur cartoons and was lucky to have lots of dinosaur toys, all of which fed into my fascination for them.
What does a regular 'day-in-the-life' look like?
Sometimes I might be studying fossil bones, describing their shape and how they compare to others, in order to try and identify what kind of dinosaur I'm looking at. Other days I might be using all those observations to create a family tree, to see how my specimen of interest relates to others. I also spend a lot of time going through CT scans, reconstructing soft tissues such as the brain space in 3D.
What's your favourite find / discovery?
My favourite personal finds are ammonites I found in Folkstone (which have a rainbow shimmer to them), a fish skull from the Isle of Sheppey, alligator teeth from Yarmouth, and big sand tiger shark teeth from Barton-on-Sea.
Which palaeontologist do you most admire?
I have been very lucky to have got to work on projects with Darren Naish, who has taught me so much about the life on our planet.
What's your favourite dinosaur fact?
Which to choose! Off the top of my head, Tyrannosaurus' massive 4 tonne bite force is always a fun fact.Celebrating Dinosaur Day?
Discover our roar-some range of dinosaur quizzes, downloadable activity sheets, fun facts and much more on the DK website here.Discover Dinosaur Day
