Tom Smith is a palaeobiologist working to disentangle the macroevolutionary patterns presented by the fossil record from the artefacts of preservation and sampling that distort them. His research addresses fundamental questions about the origins of biodiversity and the factors that have shaped it using both empirical and synthetic data. More specifically, Tom uses bespoke methods to standardise and analyse broadscale empirical datasets to interrogate the purported drivers of major evolutionary events, such as the origin of animals, the brachiopod-mollusc transition, and the siloing of unikont body plans. By integrating the results of these studies with insights from simulations designed to constrain the range of outcomes for different evolutionary, preservational, and sampling scenarios, he aims to resolve the patterns that define otherwise murky milestones in biological history and clarify the processes that underpin them. He currently holds a Leverhulme Trust Early Career Research Fellowship.
