Our research activities are built around the framework of using fossil data to describe and understand the evolutionary history of early vertebrates in general, and the origin of the gnathostome and osteichthyan body plans in particular.
Comparative anatomy of fossil and to some extent also recent animals is used in order to understand the morphological evolution and the acquisition of body plans. Patterns of relevance for understanding early vertebrate evolution also include taxonomical and morphological diversity, palaeoecology and distribution.
Our research involves 500-370 million year old fossil vertebrates, which belongs to the stem groups of the gnathostomes, chondrichthyans and osteichthyans, and thereby documents the gradual emergence of the jawed and bony vertebrate body plans.