Biography
2016 - 2018: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Memorial University of Newfoundland (Advisor: Prof. Duncan McIlroy)
2011 - 2016: PhD Palaeobiology, Department of Earth Sciences, Cambridge. "The Palaeobiology of Avalonian (Ediacaran) Rangeomorphs" (supervisors: Prof. Nick Butterfield, Cambridge; Dr. Phil Wilby, British Geological Survey)
2008 - 2011: BA(Mod) in Geology, Trinity College Dublin
Research
My current research focuses on the ecology and diversity of the first large, complex macro-organisms – the Ediacaran Biota – which are though to include fossils of some of the earliest animals. My field areas include southern Namibia, central England, and Newfoundland (Canada). My work focuses on developing a multidisciplinary approach that combines palaeoenvironmental, biological and ecological analysis to answer critical questions on the evolution of life. The emergence
of animal life is one of the most important and fundamental changes to have occurred during earth history. My primary interests lie in establishing the palaeoenvironmental and palaeoecological context of this biological revolution, and investigating the interplay between early complex life and its habitat. Ultimately, this will help us understand better the biological and abiological processes that shaped the evolution of our animal ancestors and paved the way for modern ecosystems.
Publications
Kenchington, C.G., Dunn, F.S., Wilby, P.R. 2018. Modularity and Overcompensatory Growth in Ediacaran Rangeomorphs Demonstrate Early Adaptations for Coping with Environmental Pressures. Current Biology, 28(20), pp. 3330-3336. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.08.036 .
Mitchell, E.G., Kenchington. C.G., 2018. The utility of height for the Ediacaran organisms of Mistaken Point. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 2, pp. 1218-1222. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-018-0591-6 .
Kenchington, C.G., Harris, S.J., Vixseboxse, P.B., Pickup, C., Wilby, P.R. 2018. The Ediacaran fossils of Charnwood Forest: Shining new light on a major biological revolution. Proceedings of the Geologists' Association, 129(3), pp.264-277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pgeola.2018.02.006 .
Dunn, F.S., Wilby, P.R., Kenchington, C.G., Grazhdankin, D.V., Donoghue, P.C.J., Liu, A.G. 2018. Anatomy of the Ediacaran rangeomorph Charnia masoni. Papers in Palaeontology, 2018, pp. 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1002/spp2.1234
Kenchington, C.G., Wilby, P.R., 2017. Rangeomorph classification schemes and intra-specific variation: are all characters created equal? Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 448, pp. 221-250. https://doi.org/10.1144/SP448.19
Mitchell, E.G., Kenchington, C.G., Liu, A.G., Matthews, J.J., Butterfield, N.J. 2015. Reconstructing the reproductive mode of an Ediacaran macro-organism. Nature, 524, pp. 343-346. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature14646
Liu, A.G., Kenchington, C.G., Mitchell, E.G. 2015. Remarkable insights into the paleoecology of the Avalonian Ediacaran macrobiota. Gondwana Research, 27(4), pp. 1355-1380. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gr.2014.11.002.
Wilby, P.R., Kenchington, C.G., Wilby, R.L., 2015. Role of low intensity environmental disturbance in structuring the earliest (Ediacaran) macrobenthic tiered communities. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 434, pp. 14-27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2015.03.033.
