Richard Aldridge
Encyclopedia
Richard Aldridge is a British
palaeontologist, Bennett Professor of geology
at the University of Leicester
.
Aldridge's career began at Southampton University before moving to a temporary lectureship at University College London
and then to Nottingham University where he remained until 1989 when, during the Oxburgh Review of Earth Sciences, he moved to his current institution, the University of Leicester
, where he served two terms as Head of Department. Aldridge's research has been focused primarily on the conodont
biostratigraphy
and palaeobiology
and one of his seminal contributions has been to uncover the vertebrate nature of the long-enigmatic conodont
animal, principally in collaboration with Derek Briggs
and Euan Clarkson
. This was achieved through careful analysis of skeletal remains, but also through analysis of rare soft tissue remains of conodonts. This led naturally to Aldridge's current research focus which is fossil Lagerstätten. Aldridge was awarded the Pander Medal of the Pander society
in 2006. He is currently President of the Palaeontological Association
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
palaeontologist, Bennett Professor of geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
at the University of Leicester
University of Leicester
The University of Leicester is a research-led university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is a mile south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College....
.
Aldridge's career began at Southampton University before moving to a temporary lectureship at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
and then to Nottingham University where he remained until 1989 when, during the Oxburgh Review of Earth Sciences, he moved to his current institution, the University of Leicester
University of Leicester
The University of Leicester is a research-led university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is a mile south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College....
, where he served two terms as Head of Department. Aldridge's research has been focused primarily on the conodont
Conodont
Conodonts are extinct chordates resembling eels, classified in the class Conodonta. For many years, they were known only from tooth-like microfossils now called conodont elements, found in isolation. Knowledge about soft tissues remains relatively sparse to this day...
biostratigraphy
Biostratigraphy
Biostratigraphy is the branch of stratigraphy which focuses on correlating and assigning relative ages of rock strata by using the fossil assemblages contained within them. Usually the aim is correlation, demonstrating that a particular horizon in one geological section represents the same period...
and palaeobiology
Paleobiology
Paleobiology is a growing and comparatively new discipline which combines the methods and findings of the natural science biology with the methods and findings of the earth science paleontology...
and one of his seminal contributions has been to uncover the vertebrate nature of the long-enigmatic conodont
Conodont
Conodonts are extinct chordates resembling eels, classified in the class Conodonta. For many years, they were known only from tooth-like microfossils now called conodont elements, found in isolation. Knowledge about soft tissues remains relatively sparse to this day...
animal, principally in collaboration with Derek Briggs
Derek Briggs
Derek Ernest Gilmor Briggs is an Irish paleontologist and taphonomist based at Yale University. Briggs is one of three paleontologists who were key in the reinterpretation of the fossils of the Burgess Shale.-Professional achievements:...
and Euan Clarkson
Euan Clarkson
Euan N.K. Clarkson FRSE is a British palaeontologist and writer.-Career:Euan Clarkson studied geology at the University of Cambridge and had a long career as a palaeontologist at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland...
. This was achieved through careful analysis of skeletal remains, but also through analysis of rare soft tissue remains of conodonts. This led naturally to Aldridge's current research focus which is fossil Lagerstätten. Aldridge was awarded the Pander Medal of the Pander society
Pander society
The Pander Society is an informal organisation based in the founded in 1967 for the promotion of the study of conodont palaeontology. It publishes an annual newsletter...
in 2006. He is currently President of the Palaeontological Association
Palaeontological Association
The Palaeontological Association is a charitable organisation based in the UK founded in 1957 for the promotion of the study of palaeontology.-Functions:...
.