Ms Emily Swaby

I am a 3rd year PhD research student at The Open University, funded by NERC through the CENTA Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP). My PhD project "The effect of the Toarcian (Early Jurassic) extreme environmental change on insects" is supervised by Prof. Angela Coe (OU), Dr Luke Mander (OU), Dr Bryony Caswell (University of Hull) and Dr Scott Hayward (University of Birmingham). I am an active member and previous meeting coordinator for The Open University Palaeoenvironmental Change Research Group within the School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences (EEES). I am also the CENTA Student Representative for the 2020/21 Cohort (Oct. 2020 – Present). 

I received a First Class BSc (Hons) degree in Palaeontology from the University of Portsmouth (2015 - 2018) and was awarded the Palaeontological Association Project Prize for the best BSc (Hons) Palaeontology dissertation; my undergraduate thesis investigated the taphonomy of ammonites from the Toarcian Whitby Mudstone Formation, North Yorkshire. I was also awarded the American Association of Stratigraphic Palynologists/The Palynology Society (AASP/TPS) Student Award, and the Palaeontological Association Prize for excellence in the associated undergraduate modules. I then undertook a stand-alone one year Masters degree at the University of Manchester (2018 - 2020) and received an MPhil in Palaeontology for a thesis that focused on a revision of Temnodontosaurus crassimanus (Reptilia: Ichthyosauria) from the Lower Jurassic (Toarcian) of Whitby, Yorkshire, UK. This research formed the basis of my first lead-author scientific paper, published in the journal Historical Biology.

In August 2021, I was part of a small team which excavated the largest, most complete marine reptile skeleton ever unearthed in Britain, at the Rutland Water Nature Reserve. This ichthyosaur most likely belongs to the species Temnodontosaurus trigonodon, a sister taxon to T. crassimanus, the species Dr Dean Lomax and I revised during my MPhil at the University of Manchester. Following the discovery press release (10th January 2022), I was involved in various interviews alongside dig team leaders, including BBC Radio 4 Inside Science and BBC Radio 3 Counties. The excavation of the Rutland ichthyosaur also featured in the BBC 2 series Digging For Britain (Series 9, Episode 4) which aired on the 11th of January, 2022. 

See more about the discovery and my involvement with the excavation of the Rutland ichthyosaur here: 

• https://www.anglianwater.co.uk/community/rutland-sea-dragon/digging-up-the-rutland-sea-dragon/
• https://www.open.ac.uk/research/news/ou-phd-student-part-excavation-largest-marine-reptile-skeleton 
• https://ounews.co/science-mct/ou-phd-student-describes-her-part-in-the-discovery-of-the-rutland-sea-dragon/

In July 2022, I was also part of an excavation team which unearthed a Jurassic marine ecosystem (Toarcian, 183 Ma) at a newly found site at Court Farm near Stroud, Gloucestershire. The excavation, which was lead by Sally and Neville Hollingworth, yielded fossil finds including exceptionally preserved fish, ichthyosaur bones, molluscs, coprolites, rare insects and more; the findings are currently being analysed and this research will be subsequently published.

See more about the discovery and my involvement with the excavation of the site here:

• https://ounews.co/science-mct/ou-phd-student-helps-to-unearth-jurassic-marine-world-in-farmers-field/?fbclid=IwAR1X705OjiEdvn2BuKI5DAcnxNLqXdt9YlYHKw5yw_3_K6BwAr81YZ8x35c
• https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-62336876

Academic History

PhD Student, The Open University | 2020 - Present

MPhil in Palaeontology, The University of Manchester | 2018 - 2020

BSc (Hons) in Palaeontology (First Class Honours), The University of Portsmouth | 2015 - 2018

Published Works (including peer-reviewed papers, popular science articles and conference abstracts/presentations)

Swaby, E. J., Coe, A. L., Caswell, B. A., Hayward, S. A. L., Mander, L., Ansorge, J. 2023. The fossil insect assemblage of Alderton Hill, Gloucestershire, UK and its link to the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event. 4th International Congress on Stratigraphy. 

Swaby, E. J. 2022. The Rutland Ichthyosaur: from discovery to excavation. Geologists' Association Annual Conference.

Swaby, E. J., Coe, A. L.,  Ansorge, J., Caswell, B. A., Hayward, S. A. L., Mander, L., Stevens, L. G., and McArdle, A. 2022. Taxonomy of the Toarcian palaeoentomofauna assemblage of Alderton Hill, Gloucestershire, UK. 11th International Symposium of the Jurassic System.

Lomax, D. R., Larkin, N. R., Nicholls, E. L., Boomer, I., Dey, S., Withers, D., Swaby, E. J., de la Salle, P., Savory, D., Beeson, M. and Rye, P. 2022. Excavating the “Sea Dragon Dinosaur Dolphin Fossil” – AKA, The Rutland Ichthyosaur. Marine Reptiles Conference.

Swaby, E. J. 2022. Plesiosaurs, pliosaurs, hybodonts: looking back at three prehistoric predators of the Jurassic seas. The Conversation.

Swaby, E. J. and Lomax, D. R. 2020. A revision of Temnodontosaurus crassimanus (Reptilia: Ichthyosauria) from the Lower Jurassic (Toarcian) of Whitby, Yorkshire, UK. Historical Biology, 33 (11), 2715-2731. https://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2020.1826469

Swaby, E. J. 2022. The effect of the Toarcian (Early Jurassic) extreme environmental change on insects. Lost ocean: A fossil dive into the sea of monsters (Musée national d’histoire naturelle, Luxembourg).

Swaby, E. J., Coe, A. L., Caswell, B. A., Hayward, S. & Mander, L. 2021. The effect of the Toarcian (Early Jurassic) extreme environmental change on insects. CENTA Conference.

Swaby, E. J. and Lomax, D. R. 2019. A revision of Temnodontosaurus crassimanus (Reptilia: Ichthyosauria) from the Lower Jurassic (Toarcian) of Whitby, Yorkshire, UK. The Annual Symposium of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Comparative Anatomy. Vol 67.

Swaby, E. J. 2018. (Not) All About Allosaurus! The Overlooked Theropods of the Morrison Formation. Fossil News – The Journal of Avocational Paleontology. 21.4, 34-38.

Swaby, E. J. 2017. Exploring ammonite diversity along the North Yorkshire coast – the Whitby Mudstone Formation. Fossil News – The Journal of Avocational Paleontology. 19.3, 45-50. 

Swaby, E. J. 2016. Saltwick Bay, North Yorkshire. Deposits Magazine, 45, 14-16.

Grants, Awards & Prizes

• Wollaston Fund Award (March 2023, Geological Society of London) – Awarded to an early career geoscientist who has made excellent contributions to geoscience research and its application.
• Edmund Johnston Garwood Fund (Geological Society of London, April 2021) – Awarded to study the sedimentology and stratigraphic context of the Early Jurassic insect-bearing deposits of north-eastern Germany (£1500).
• Palaeontology Project Prize (July 2018, University of Portsmouth) – Awarded to the student with the best BSc (Hons) Palaeontology Dissertation.
• American Association of Stratigraphic Palynologists/The Palynology Society (AASP/TPS) Student Award (Sep 2017, University of Portsmouth) – Awarded to the student with the highest grade in the stratigraphic module.
• Palaeontological Association Prize (Sep 2017, University of Portsmouth) – Awarded to the student with the highest grade in the invertebrate palaeontology module.
• University of Leeds Geology Award (Sep 2015, Thomas Rotherham College) – Awarded to the student with the highest A-Level Geology Grade.
• Thomas Rotherham College Foundation Scholarship (Sep 2015, Thomas Rotherham College) - Awarded to students that achieved AAA, A*AB or A*A*C or above at A-Level.
• Young Darwin Scholarship (Aug 2014, Field Studies Council, FSC) – Awarded to young people living in the UK who have demonstrated their interest and potential in the natural world.

Outreach & Science Communication

• 1 of 12 women scientists to present research at Soapbox Science Milton Keynes with a talk entitled "Climate change: what can fossil insects tell us?" (14th October, 2021)
• 1 of 12 women scientists to present research at Soapbox Science Milton Keynes with a talk entitled “Ancient arthropods: what can Jurassic insects tell us about past climate change?” (25th June, 2022)

Experience

• Musée national d'histoire naturelle, Luxembourg – 2 week work experience placement (March 2023)
• The Wyoming Dinosaur Center and Dig Sites, USA – Summer Internship (Aug. – Sep. 2018) 
  • Worked alongside palaeontologists to develop key skills in excavating, identifying and preparing specimens from active dig sites within the Morrison Formation, including specimens of Allosaurus, Camarasaurus and Diplodocus.
  • Independently ran excavation programmes, including ‘Dig for a Day’, ‘Kids Dig’ and ‘Road Scholar’, which involved teaching visitors how to use excavation equipment correctly and highlighting the nature of their finds, whilst maintaining safety on the active dig sites - this improved my ability to manage various tasks simultaneously within a limited time.
  • Conducted fully guided museum tours, which allowed me to develop my communication skills and my ability to educate others in the field of palaeontology.  
• Lyme Regis Fossil Festival – Festival Volunteer (April 2017)
  • Ran interactive opportunities for school groups and assisted on geological walks along Monmouth Beach, which required resourcefulness to adapt sessions to the knowledge of various audiences and developed my ability to work independently. 
• Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery – CIRCA Project Volunteer (July 2012 - May 2015) 
  • Assisted in cataloguing and organising the museum’s fossil collection of over 12,000 specimens alongside Palaeontologist Dr Dean R. Lomax, in addition to helping out at several fossil identification days that were open to the public. This gave me valuable hands-on experience in systematically identifying and categorising specimens and their provenance, within a museum environment.
• Wath Church of England Primary School – Visitor/Speaker (Sep. 2015 – Aug. 2020)
  • Devised and conducted several self-organised presentations, hands-on lessons and skype sessions to classes of children aged 5 – 11 years, including coordinating question and answer discussions on the topics of palaeontology and geology.