SIMON A.F. DARROCH

I am a geobiologist and assistant professor at Vanderbilt University in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, with a research program focused on understanding major changes in the complexity of Earth-Life systems. Our group investigates the evolution, ecology, and disappearance of some of the oldest complex eukaryotes (the 'Ediacara biota') and the causes and consequences of mass extinction events. Our work is by necessity interdisciplinary, and combines aspects of biology, ecology, biogeography and geology. Members of our lab perform fieldwork all over the world, most recently in South Africa, Namibia, Canada, and the Bahamas. We're always on the look-out for talented students to join our group, so please get in touch!