Charlie Underwood

I graduated with a degree in Geology from the University of Exeter in 1989, and a PhD on fossil preservation from the University of Bristol in 1993. Since 2000 I have been at Birkbeck College, London where I am now a Senior Lecturer in Geology. I have published extensively on shark and ray evolution, as well as their palaeoecology and preservation, in addition to other, largely field related, subject areas. Over the last few years I have been conducting increasing amounts of research on modern sharks and rays, and in doing so have collaborated extensively with workers at the Natural History Museum, London and elsewhere. This has resulted in a number of high profile papers on the development of teeth and other tooth-like structures (such as rostral 'teeth' of sawfish).

I aim to incorporate my research with my teaching, which is largely to part time evening students within a college that encourages widening participation. I also conduct outreach wherever possible; during spring 2016 I have done several days of outreach at local schools as well as at the Lyme Regis Fossil Festival.

May 2016