Professor Kirsty Edgar PhD

Professor Kirsty Edgar

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
Professor in Micropalaeontology
Head of Research in the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Contact details

Email
k.m.edgar@bham.ac.uk
Twitter
@KirstyMEdgar
View my research portal
Address
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Kirsty specializes in foraminiferal micropalaeontology and palaeoclimate reconstructions. The overall goal of her research is to unravel the complex interplay between life and climate ranging from the modern day back through millions of years. Her current research has three interleaved strands building off these core expertise and interests:

[1] What did marine ecosystems in the past look like and how did they operate?

[2] What did past high-CO2 worlds (Mesozoic and Cenozoic) look like and how did they operate?

[3] How do we record, conserve and communicate palaeontological heritage?

Qualifications

  • 2018 - Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (Distinction), University of Birmingham; Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy; Staff and Educational Development Association accreditation
  • 2009 – PhD University of Southampton
  • 2004 – MSci (First Class) Royal Holloway, University of London

Biography

2024-  Professor in Micropalaeontology, University of Birmingham

2019-2024 – Associate Professor in Micropalaeontology, University of Birmingham

2017-2019 – Lecturer in Micropalaeontology, University of Birmingham

2016–2017 – Leverhulme Early Career Research Fellow and Proleptic Lecturer in Micropalaeontology, University of Birmingham

2014-2016 – Leverhulme Early Career Research Fellow, University of Bristol

2011-2014 – NERC Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Cardiff University

2008-2011 – NERC Research Associate, University of Southampton (Advisor: Prof. Heiko Pälike)

2009 – Ph.D, University of Southampton (Advisor: Prof. Paul Wilson)

2008 (June – August), WUN International Research Fellow, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, San Diego (Advisors: Prof. Dick Norris & Dr Philip Sexton)

2004 – MSci (First Class Hons), Royal Holloway, University of Londo

Teaching

Kirsty teaches on the following topics:

  • Micropalaeontology
  • Palaeoclimates
  • Palaeoecology
  • Research, field and museum skills

Postgraduate supervision

Kirsty Edgar is interested in:

[1] Understanding the timing and nature of the interaction between global climate, geochemical cycling, and biota during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic. A major research focus is elucidating the dynamics and consequences of transient climate events in the geological record and the evolution of planktic foraminifera.
[2] Conservation of palaeontological heritage: focussed on how we identify, record, conserve and communicate palaeontological heritage. Current work integrates digital techniques into site management plans alongside heritage-monitoring bodies and understanding the scientific and cultural value of palaeontological sites.

If you are interested in exploring opportunities to join the Palaeobiology group here at Birmingham as a graduate student, postdoc or if you looking for somewhere new for a research visit or sabbatical then please get in touch.

Research

Kirsty specializes in foraminiferal micropalaeontology and palaeoclimate reconstructions. The overall goal of her research is to unravel the complex interplay between life and climate ranging from the modern day back through millions of years.

Her current research has three interleaved strands building off these core expertise and interests:

[1] Biodiversity and evolution of past marine ecosystems: focussed on understanding how past marine ecosystems looked and operated. This includes elucidating the taxonomy and ecology of planktic foraminifera (marine microplankton) and the response of a wider group of organisms and ecosystems to abrupt environmental change in the past.

[2] Nature and operation of past high-CO2 worlds: focussed on uncovering how high-CO2 worlds looked and operated (based on microfossil, geochemical and sedimentological records). Specific contributions relate to the relationship between temperature, CO2, ice sheet growth and biogeochemical cycling in the Cenozoic and understanding the fidelity of geochemical and biological records for environmental reconstruction.

[3] Conservation of palaeontological heritage: a new area of work focussed on how we identify, record, conserve and communicate palaeontological heritage. Current work integrates digital techniques into site management plans alongside heritage-monitoring bodies and understanding the scientific and cultural value of palaeontological sites.

Other activities

  • 2021 - Subject Editor (micropalaeontology and palaeoclimatology) for the Journal of The Geological Society of London.
  • 2020-2021 Member of the Midlands Innovation, TALENT Policy Commission focussed on the advancement of the technical community.
  • 2019 - Member of the Stratigraphy Commission of The Geological Society of London.
  • 2017 - Planktic foraminiferal biostratigrapher on Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 369: Australia Cretaceous climates and tectonics (26 Sep-26 Nov.).
  • 2017- Advisory board member of Mikrotax (http://mikrotax.org/)
  • 2017-2020 - International member of the Joides Resolution Science Operator Geology Laboratory Working Group
  • 2016 - Planktic Foraminiferal Editor for the Journal of Micropalaeontology
  • 2014-2016 - The Micropalaeontological Society (TMS) Events Secretary
  • 2012-2014 - TMS Foraminifera Group Secretary
  • 2009 - Planktic foraminiferal biostratigrapher on Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 320:Pacific Equatorial Age Transect (5 March-5 May)
  • Member of The Micropalaeontological Society (2004- ), Geologists Association (2017- ), The Paleontological Association (2014- ), The Cushman Foundation (2014- ), Geological Society of America (2015- ) and The American Geophysical Union (2006- )

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Edgar, K, Butler, R, Larwood, J & Smith, J 2024, 'Determining the relative scientific and cultural “value” of the UK’s in-situ dinosaur track sites', Proceedings of the Geologists' Association.

Dixon, JD, Meek, A, Clatworthy, J & Edgar, K 2024, 'Illuminating an Uncatalogued Micropalaeontological Collection at the Lapworth Museum of Geology, University of Birmingham', The Geological Curator. <https://www.geocurator.org/resources/18-geological-curator>

Butler, RJ, Edgar, KM, Haller, L, Meade, LE, Jones, HT, Hill, O, Scriven, S & Reedman, C 2024, 'Sauropod dinosaur tracks from the Purbeck Group (Early Cretaceous) of Spyway Quarry, Dorset, UK', Royal Society Open Science, vol. 11, no. 7, 240583. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.240583

De Lira Mota, M, Dunkley Jones, T, Sulaiman, N, Edgar, K, Yamaguchi, T, Leng, MJ, Adloff, M, Greene, S, Norris, R, Warren, B, Duffy, G, Farrant, J, Murayama, M, Hall, J & Bendle, J 2023, 'Multi-proxy evidence for sea level fall at the onset of the Eocene-Oligocene transition', Nature Communications, vol. 14, no. 1, 4748. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-39806-6

Edgar, K, Haller, L, Cashmore, D, Dunne, E & Butler, R 2023, 'Stratigraphic and geographic distribution of dinosaur tracks in the UK', Journal of the Geological Society. https://doi.org/10.1144/jgs2023-003

Edgar, K, Meade, L, Jones, H, Haller, L, Scriven, S, Reedman, C & Butler, R 2023, 'The condition, use and future of the UK’s largest accessible dinosaur tracksite at Spyway Quarry, Dorset', Proceedings of the Geologists' Association. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pgeola.2023.01.001

Taylor, V, Westerhold, T, Bohaty, SM, Backman, J, Dunkley Jones, T, Edgar, K, Egan, K, Lyle, MW, Palike, H, Röhl, U, Zachos, J & Wilson, PA 2023, 'Transient shoaling, over-deepening and settling of the calcite compensation depth at the Eocene-Oligocene transition', Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology, vol. 38, no. 6, e2022PA004493. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022PA004493

Edgar, K, MacLeod, KG, Hasegawa, T, Hanson, E, Boomer, I & Kirby, N 2022, 'Data Report: Cenozoic and Upper Cretaceous bulk carbonate stable carbon and oxygen isotopes from IODP Expedition 369 Sites U1513, U1514 and U1516, in the southeast Indian Ocean', Proceedings of the International Ocean Discovery Program, vol. 369. https://doi.org/10.14379/iodp.proc.369.206.2022

Kearns, L, Bohaty, SM, Edgar, K & Ezard, T 2022, 'Small but mighty: how overlooked small species maintain community structure through middle Eocene climate change', Paleobiology. https://doi.org/10.1017/pab.2022.24

Kearns, L, Bohaty, SM, Edgar, K, Nogue, S & Ezard, T 2021, 'Searching for function: reconstructing adaptive niche changes using geochemical and morphological data in planktonic Foraminifera', Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, vol. 9, 679722. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2021.679722

Vahlenkamp, M, De Vleeschouwer, D, Batenburg, S, Edgar, K, Hanson, E, Martinez, M, Paelike, H, MacLeod, K, Li, Y-X, Richter, C, Bogus, K, Hobbs, R, Huber, B & Expedition 369 Scientific Participants 2020, 'A lower to middle Eocene astrochronology for the Mentelle Basin (Australia) and its implications for the geologic time scale', Earth and Planetary Science Letters, vol. 529, 115865. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2019.115865

Barnet, J, Littler, K, Harper, D, LeVay, LJ, Edgar, K, Henehan, M, Babila, TL, Ullmann, C, Leng, MJ, Kroon, D & Zachos, J 2020, 'Coupled evolution of temperature and carbonate chemistry during the Paleocene-Eocene; new trace element records from the low latitude Indian Ocean', Earth and Planetary Science Letters, vol. 545, 116414. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2020.116414

Chapter (peer-reviewed)

Bown, P, Coe, A, Cope, J, Edgar, K, Harper, D, Marshall, J, Wakefield, M, Pearson, PN & Zalasiewicz, J 2022, Biostratigraphy – using fossils to date and correlate rock. in AL Coe (ed.), Deciphering Earth's History: the Practice of Stratigraphy. Geoscience in Practice, Geological Society of London. <https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/GIP001>

Shields, GA, Edgar, K, Ratcliffe, K & Dahl, T 2022, Chemostratigraphy – using elements and isotopes to identify, interpret and correlate events in strata. in Deciphering Earth's History: the Practice of Stratigraphy. Geoscience in Practice, Geological Society of London, London. <https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/GIP001>

Other contribution

Giles, S, Greene, S, Ashley, K, Dunne, E, Edgar, K & Hanson, E 2020, Getting the basics right: a field-teaching primer on toilet stops in the field.. https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-11723

View all publications in research portal