Thibault Durieux
My name is Thibault Durieux, I am from France. My bachelor's degree is in organism and population biology (Université Jean Monnet, Saint Etienne, France), and my master's degree is in Palaeoecology (Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France). While doing my master’s, I developed my interest in Palaeobotany and Palaeomycology by working on fossil plants from the Devonian (about 420 to 360 million years ago), and fossil plants and fossil fungi from the Permian (about 300 to 250 million years ago).
I am currently a Ph.D. student supervised by Carla J. Harper (TCD) and Anne-Laure Decombeix (French National Centre for Scientific Research), working on the “Early woody plant diversity and biology: An integrative evolutionary and palaeoenvironmental study”, which is funded by the Provost’s Ph.D. Project Award.
In a nutshell, the research focus of my thesis is to study woody plants from the Devonian and the Carboniferous (about 360 to 300 million years ago) of France and Ireland, describe new species, and reinvestigate others, leading to a better understanding of the diversity and phylogenetic relationships of woody plants and helping clarify the impact of the Devonian/Carboniferous crisis on plants. This work will be complemented by an investigation of wood-degrading organisms from this time period (especially fungi), ultimately leading to a better understanding of past interactions and ecosystems.