Directory of Experts
Details for Dr Maria McNamara
| Personal details | |
| Name | Dr Maria McNamara |
| Job title | Research Associate |
| Department | School of Earth Sciences University of Bristol |
| Contact details | This expert can be contacted via the University of Bristol Public Relations
Office. To help us deal with your request, please mention the Directory of Experts when contacting the Public Relations Office. work+44 (0)117 928 7777 email: public-relations@bristol.ac.uk |
| Qualifications | BSC, PHD |
| Professional details | |
| Membership of professional bodies | Palaeontological Association International Paleontological Association Geological Society of America |
| Keywords | palaeontology fossil preservation fossil colour feathered dinosaurs fossil insects |
| Areas of expertise | I am a palaeontologist working on how fossils are preserved. Much of my current work focuses on the colours of fossil animals, especially insects and feathered dinosaurs. I use evidence from fossils and from laboratory fossilisation experiments to investigate how colours change during the fossilisation process. More broadly, I am interested in the preservation of soft tissues in fossils, e.g. skin, muscle, feathers, etc. I have worked on fossil vertebrates and invertebrates from several ancient lake deposits in order to determine the biological and environmental factors that control their preservation. |
| Media experience | I have been interviewed on national and international television and radio, including the BBC, CBC, Irish Times and others. My work has also featured in the broader web-based media, e.g. websites for Discover magazine, National Geographic, New York Times, ScienceNow, etc. I have written popular science articles for public and have held a geology column in a regional newspaper. |