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Biography
Recent Brachiopod Project
The brachiopod collection in the department of palaeontology also houses the museum's collection of recent brachiopods. With approximately 4500 specimens representing a significant proportion of the extant genera and species and a number of historically important collections within the whole (such as specimens from the Challenger expedition and specimens collected by Charles Darwin), the recent brachiopod project aims to get in excess of 3500 of these specimens onto the museum's KE Emu database.
In addition to all of the type and figured specimens, important collections and other significant specimens being databased; they will also be digitally imaged with a view to all of the information being made available on the museum web site in the near future.
The second phase of the project will be the creation of a recent brachiopod identification key down to at least generic level; making use of the databased specimens and images gathered.
Collections
The Brachiopod collection numbers in the region of 400,000 specimens spanning 550 million years of evolutionary history, it also houses a spirit collection of several hundred modern species. I curate and care for the brachiopod collections; making the collections available to visitors (research based and non-research based) facilitate loans and deal with any enquiries. I actively promote the use of the collection by both scientific and non-scientific visitors. I am also developing and enhancing the collection through addition of new specimens and improving the documentation relating to the collection.
I am active in the museum's science education and learning programmes.
Special Projects
Curating a marine invertebrate fauna from the Tertiary of the Hampshire Basin, Gosport City Museum, 2003
Professional Roles
Employment history
Apr 2010 - Present: Recent Brachiopod Project (Natural History Museum)
Aug 2009 - Apr 12010: Curator of Palaeobotany (Natural History Museum)
Jun 2008 - Jun 2009: Curator of Brachiopods (Natural History Museum)
Qualifications
BSc (Hons) Palaeobiology and Evolution, University of Portsmouth, 2006
Awards
- Palaeontological Association Student Award, 2004
Research
Current research
- CT scanning of pyritised brachiopods to reveal soft tissue preservation
- 3D reconstruction of a Chasmosaur brain case using tomographic data
- Recent brachiopods
Interests
- Early evolution and radiation of brachiopods
- Soft tissue preservation in fossil brachiopods
Publications
2010
OWEN, E and DAVIES, L.S (2010) Brachiopods. In: Young, J.R, Gale, A.S, Knight, R. I. and Smith, A. B. eds. Fossils of the Gault Clay. Palaeontological Association, London.
ANGIOLINI, L., DAVIES, L.S. and LONG, S. (in prep.) Revision of Sowerby’s Species Spirifer bisulcatus, Spirifer pinguis and Spirifer rotundatus from the Viscean of Great Britain.
2009
DAVIES, L.S. (2009) Soft Tissue Preservation in a Middle Devonian Spiriferid Brachiopod. Palaeontological Association Annual Meeting. Poster Presentation.