Alice Clement

Research Fellow
Flinders University

Region: Asia-Pacific

Country of residence: Australia

Contact me for

  • Mentoring
  • Sitting on boards or committees
  • Providing an expert opinion
  • Outreach activities
  • Conference presenting
  • Opportunities to collaborate

Biography

I am an evolutionary biologist and palaeontologist, interested in early vertebrates. This means I study fish and tetrapods (the first terrestrial vertebrates), and in particular the changes that occurred in their bodies over deep geological time. This spectacular transition is arguably the greatest step in evolution, and occurred close to 400 million years ago, in a time Period known as the Devonian. I enjoy working on spectacular fossils as well as studying the animals that live today in order to answer questions about vertebrate evolution. I use modern scanning and imaging techniques (such as CT, synchrotron and neutron imaging) to uncover deep mysteries of the past, and better understand our very own evolutionary history. I lead the research node in early vertebrate brain evolution (palaeoneurology) at Flinders University but also do some work on other vertebrate groups (birds, mammals etc.), and other projects relating to the evolution of terrestriality – such as the development of limbs from fins, and the appearance of air breathing. In addition to my research interests, I am the leader of VAMP, a Flinders University initiative to develop a Virtual Australian Museum of Palaeontology, the current Program Secretary of the Royal Society of South Australia, and a strong advocate for girls and women in STEM.

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