Kate is a vertebrate palaeontologist and joined Curtin University as a Curtin Research Fellow in 2009. She was subsequently was awarded an ARC QEII Fellowship “Fleshing out the fossil record’ in 2011 to investigate the development of the skeleton and specialised musculature in early vertebrates. Her current research project is an ARC DP (2014) “The origins of electroreception and nocturnality in the earliest known jawed vertebrates” Prior to her arrival at Curtin University, Kate held a research fellowship in the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Western Australia (2000-2008). She has an Honours degree in Biology from Murdoch University and was awarded a PhD in Geology from University of Western Australia, (2000) for her thesis on "Microvertebrates from the Gneudna Formation".
Research Interests

Kate's expertise primarily lies in vertebrate palaeontology. Her current work focuses on how the early vertebrates evolved novel morphology such as an internal skeleton and complex musculature. In particular she is studying the role of internal fertilization and how this impacted on the diversification and radiation of early fishes. Kate is an accomplished in a variety of micro-analytical techniques, including the application of micro- CT and synchrotron scanning for fossil materials. Kate’s other research interests encompass a variety of topics such as biostratigraphy using conodonts and the teeth and scales from sharks to date rocks, the mechanism of soft tissue preservation and the evolution of electroreception. Her primary field work is in the Kimberley region of Western Australia and has recently worked on sites in Morocco and South Africa.
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