Dr. Christopher Phillips 

B.A., M.Esc. University of Oxford
E-mail: cphillip @ mun.ca

Ph.D. Thesis Title: Contributions to the ichnology of deep marine turbiditic successions.
Thesis Supervisor: Dr. Duncan McIlroy 

Chris's work addresses the ichnology of the Gres D'Annot Formation of the French Alps, includes ichnofabric analysis of deep marine sediments from the Nova Scotian slope.  In addition, Chris studied ichnofabric production by the thalassinid shrimp Neotrypea californiensis as an analogue to the producers of deep marine Ophiomorpha in the Gres D'Annot Formation- the Ophiomorpha rudis ichnosubfacies.

Chris successfully defended his thesis and is currently working for the NL Geological Survey.

PHILLIPS, C., MCILROY, D. & ELLIOTT, T., 2011 Ichnological characterization of Eocene/Oligocene turbidites from the Grès d'Annot Basin, French Alps, SE France. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 300, 67-83.
PHILLIPS, C. & MCILROY, D. 2010. Ichnofabrics and biologically mediated changes in clay mineral assemblages from a deep-water, fine-grained, calcareous sedimentary succession: an example from the Upper Cretaceous Wyandot Formation, offshore Nova Scotia. Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology, 58, 203-218.
MCILROY, D., TONKIN, N.S., PHILLIPS, C. & HERRINGSHAW, L.G. 2010. Comment on “Ophiomorpha irregulaire, Mesozoic trace fossil that is either well understoodbut rare in outcrop or poorly understood but common in core” by R.G. Bromley and G.K. Pedersen [Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 270 (2008) 295–298]. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, v. 284, p. 392–395.

Dr. Alex Liu

Email:    alexl @ earth.ox.ac.uk
Homepage: http://www.earth.ox.ac.uk/~alexl/profile.html  

Area of Study:    Palaeobiology

Alex was a Ph.D. student at the University of Oxford.  His research aims to uncover some of the fundamental seafloor processes associated with the evolution of complex animal life.  Alex is a regular collaborator with our group, spending 3 study terms at Memorial, including field seasons on the Avalon and Bonavista peninsula studying the Mistaken Point biota and the Precambrian-Cambrian Boundary. He is currently holds a Fellowship at Cambridge, and continues to work on the Ediacaran of Avalonia.

Supervisors:    Martin Brasier (Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford); Dr Duncan McIlroy

Publications:

LIU, A., MCILROY, D. ANTCLIFFE, J. & BRASIER, M.D. 2011. Effaced preservation in the Ediacara biota and its implications for the early macrofossil record. Palaeontology, 54, 607-630.
LIU, A., MCILROY, D. & BRASIER 2010b. First evidence for locomotion in the Ediacara biota from the 565Ma Mistaken Point Formation: Reply. Geology, 38, e224,/ doi://10.1130/G31448Y.1
LIU, A., MCILROY, D. & BRASIER 2010a. First evidence for locomotion in the Ediacara biota from the 565Ma Mistaken Point Formation. Geology, 38, 123-126.

Awards:
2010 Progressive Palaeontology poster prize.

Dr. Michael Garton

Supervisor: Dr. Duncan McIlroy

Ph.D. Thesis Title: Ichnology of the Eriboll Sandstone, NW Scotland.

Michael is a highly experienced geologist with a passion for the ichnology and stratigraphy of the Eriboll Sandstone (Pipe Rock) of the NW highlands of Scotland.  Michael is a part time student who has returned to study after many years working as a geological survey field mapper, and latterly as a high school teacher in the UK.

Michael successfully defended his thesis but remains involved in a number of the group's UK-based initiatives and will hopefully continue to do so for many years.

Publications:

GARTON, M. & MCILROY, D. Description and classification of the vertical trace fossil Skolithos. Palaeontology (in review).
MCILROY, D. & GARTON, M. 2010. Realistic interpretation of ichnofabrics and paleoecology of the pipe-rock biotope. Lethaia, 43, 420-426.
GARTON, M. & MCILROY, D. 2006. A new method for the study of ichnofabric in cryptic highly lithified facies. Journal of Sedimentary Research, 76, 1-5.
MCILROY, D. & GARTON, M. 2004. A worm’s eye view of the Early Palaeozoic sea floor. Geology Today, 20, 224-230.

Dr. Nicola Tonkin
 B.Sc., M.Sc., University of Aukland
E-mail: nstonkin @ mun.ca

Ph.D. Thesis Title: Lateral variability of ichnofabric in shallow marine successions: constraining the limitations of the ichnofabric method.
Supervisor: Dr. Duncan McIlroy 

Nikki Tonkin is a specialist in shallow marine ichnology.  Nikki has been working on ichnofabric analysis and reservoir quality in shallow marine sandstones, with particular reference to the influence of ecological patchiness.  Nikki's studies have taken her to field sites in Argentina, Utah, and New Zealand.  Her current focus is on the taphonomy of the crustacean burrow Thalassinoides burrows in shallow marine sandstones.  Nikki submitted her thesis in June 2011 and successfully defended it on the 3rd October with Prof. Murray Gingras as her external examiner.  Nikki is moving on to a position in the petroleum industry, but I am sure wil remain a long term contact.

Publications:

TONKIN, N.S.,MCILROY, D., MEYER, R. & MOORE, A. 2010. Bioturbation influence on  reservoir quality? A case study from the Cretaceous Ben Nevis Formation, Jeanne d’Arc Basin, Offshore Newfoundland, Canada. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, 94, 1059–1078.
MCILROY, D., TONKIN, N.S., PHILLIPS, C. & HERRINGSHAW, L.G. 2010. Comment on “Ophiomorpha irregulaire, Mesozoic trace fossil that is either well understood but rare in outcrop or poorly understood but common in core” by R.G. Bromley and G.K. Pedersen [Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 270 (2008) 295–298]. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, v. 284, p. 392–395.
MCILROY, D., TONKIN, N. & TIMMS, N.E. 2006. From ichnofabric to reservoir model – a tide dominated delta front succession from the Lajas Formation, Neuquén Basin, Argentina. AAPG Extended abstracts Perth 2006.

Awards:
AAPG best student talk Perth AAPG 2006
AAPG Grant in Aid of Research Raymond Moore Award