Prof Robert Andrew Spicer

Professional biography

I am an Emeritus Professor of Earth Sciences in the School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, a Visiting Professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Yunnan, China (http://english.xtbg.cas.cn/) and an Adjunct Professor at the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in Beijing, China. Trained initially as a botanist at Imperial College London I subsequently obtained a PhD in Geology, also at Imperial College. That was followed by a three year period working with the United States Geological Survey at Menlo Park California, first as a Lindemann Fellow and then as a Research Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences. On my return to the UK my first lecturing position was in the Life Sciences department of Goldsmiths College, London, followed by a move to Oxford University where I was a lecturer in Earth Sciences and a Fellow of St Hugh's College. I joined the Open University as Professor and Head of Earth Sciences in 1994 and subsequently became the founding director of CEPSAR (Centre for Earth, Planetary, Space and Astronomical Research), before university-wide restructuring led to the creation of the school structure including my current unit, the School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences.

In 2018 I was awarded the T.M. Harris medal for my 'lifetime achievement' in palaeobotany.

Research interests

Leaves are readily fossilised so the geological record contains a vast amount of information about past climates. Using plant fossils we can quantify a range of parameters such as temperature and rainfall for those past climates. Climate Leaf Analysis Multivariate Program - CLAMP - is a powerful tool for decoding the signal of ancient climate encoded in leaf form. To learn more about CLAMP follow the this link http://clamp.ibcas.ac.cn.

The development of CLAMP is the focus of one of my current research projects being carried out at the Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yunnan, P.R. China. Another project uses CLAMP to track the uplift of the Himalaya and Tibet, as well as climate changes and biodiversity development associated with the evolution of the Asian monsoon systems. I use plant fossil proxy climate data combined with numerical climate modelling for past and present climates including the essessment of uncertainties in both modelling and proxies. This work is primarily located at XTBG and the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing.

Recent Research Outputs:

Witkowski, C.R., Lauretano, V., Farnsworth, A., Li S.-F., Li, S.H., Mayser, J.P., Naafs, B.D., Wei, J., Spicer, R.A., Su, T., Tang, H., Zhou, Z., Valdes, P.J., Pancost, R.D. 2025. Dynamic environment but no temperature change since the late Paleogene at Lühe Basin (Yunnan, China) Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 668: 112920. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2025.112920

Zhang, X., Kemp. D.B., Huang, C., Spicer, R. A., Zhang, R., Jin, S., , Zhang, R., Zhang, Z. 2025. Eccentricity and obliquity forcing of east Asian hydroclimate during the latest Cretaceous to early Paleocene. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 658: 119306. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2025.119306

Khan^, M.A., Spicer, R.A., Su, T., Roy, K., 2025. A tropical rainforest biome once existed in India at the K-Pg: Evidence from ‘one-vessel’ arecoid palms. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology: 337: 105316.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.revpalbo.2025.105316

Chen, Y.-P., Sunojkumar, P., Spicer, R.A., Hodel, R.G.J., Soltis, D.E., Soltis, P.S., Paton, A.J., Sun, M., Drew, B.T., Xiang, C.-L. 2025. Rapid radiation of a plant lineage sheds light on the assembly of dry valley biomes. Molecular Biology and Evolution. 42:1-17. https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf011

Adhikari, P., Srivastava, G., Farnsworth, A., Bhatia, H., Sadanand, Poudel, S., Spicer, R.A., Rai, L.K., Su, T., Valdes, P.J., Paudayal, K.N. 2025. Miocene weakening of the South Asian Monsoon: Insights from the Siwalik of Nepal. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology: 112789. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2025.112789

Zhang, X.-W.., Liu, J., Spicer, R.A., Gao, Y., Yao, X.-R., Qin, X.-Y., Zhou, Z.-K., Su, T. 2025. Vegetation history of the central Tibetan region during the late Oligocene–Early Miocene. Journal of Systematics and Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1111/jse.13152.

Ali, A., Spicer, R.A., Patel, R., Rana, R.S., Khan, M.A., 2025. ‘‘Out-of-India” dispersal of the extinct fabaceous genus Podocarpium Braun ex Stizenberger. Palaeoworld 34: 100860. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palwor.2024.05.006.

Kumar, S., Spicer, R.A., Khan, M.A., 2024. A new coralloid arecoid palm root mat from the Deccan Intertrappean Beds of India and its significance. Turkish Journal of Botany. TJBOT-2024-00239R2

Gao, Y., Song, A., Cai, W.J., Spicer, R.A., Zhang, R., Liu, J., Srivastava, G., Yao, X.R., Qin, X.Y., Tang, H., Li, S.F., Su., T., 2024. Tibetan Plateau palm fossils prove the Kohistan-Ladakh Island Arc is a floristic steppingstone between Gondwana and Laurasia. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 105255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.revpalbo.2024.105255.

Ali, A., Spicer, R.A., Patel, R., Rana, R.S., Khan, M.A., 2024. “Out-of-India” dispersal of the extinct fabaceous genus Podocarpium Braun ex Stizenberger. Palaeoworld. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palwor.2024.05.006

Ya-Ping Chen, Purayidathkandy Sunojkumar, Robert A. Spicer, Richard G.J. Hodel, Douglas E. Soltis, Pamela S. Soltis, Alan J. Paton, Miao Sun, Bryan T. Drew, Chun-Lei Xiang. Preprint. Rapid radiation of a plant lineage sheds light on the assembly of dry valley biomes. Molecular Biology and Evolution 42: msaf011.https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf011

Tang, H.  Cui, H., Li, S.F., Spicer, R.A., Li, S.H., T Su, Zhou, Z.K., Witkowski, C.R., Lauretano, V., Wei, J.G. 2024. Orbital-paced silicate weathering intensity and climate evolution across the Eocene-Oligocene transition in the southeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. Global and Planetary Change 234, 104388. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2024.104388.

Spicer, R.A., Farnsworth, A., Su, T., Ding, L., Witkowski, C.R., Li, S.F., Xiong, Z., Zhou, Z., Li, S., Hughes, A.C., Valdes, P.J., Widdowson, M., Zhiang, X., He, S., Liu, J., Huang, J., Herman, A.B., Xu, Q., Liu, X., Jin, J., Pancost, R.D., Lunt, D., Zhang, S. 2024/2025. The Progressive Co-evolutionary Development of the Pan-Tibetan Highlands, the Asian Monsoon system and Asian Biodiversity. Geological Society of London Special Papers. https://doi.org/10.1144/SP549-2023-180

Li, S.H., Spicer, R.A., Su, T., Zhou, Z., Deng, C., 2024. An updated chronostratigraphic framework for the Cenozoic sediments of southeast margin of the Tibetan Plateau: Implications for regional tectonic. Global and Planetary Change 236: 104436. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2024.104436

Kumar, S., Roy, K., Spicer, R.A., Khan, M.A. 2024. Earliest megafossils of scandent calamoid palms from the Deccan Intertrappean Beds of Central India and their paleobiogeographic implications. Journal of Palaeogeography https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jop.2024.05.001

Kumar, S., Su, T., Spicer, R.A., Khan, M.A., 2024. The earliest fossil evidence of spiny feather (pinnate-leaved) palms from the K-Pg of Gondwana. Palaeontologia Electronica 27 (1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.26879/127

Yuan, W., Mu Liu, M., Chen, D., Xing, Y-W, Spicer, R.A., Chen, J., Them II, T.R., Wang, X., Li, S., Guo, C., Zhang, G., Zhang, L., Hui Zhang, H., Feng, X. 2023.  Mercury isotopes show vascular plants had colonized land extensively by the early Silurian. Science Advances. 9 eade9510. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ade9510

Zhao, C., Xiong, Z., Farnsworth, A., Spicer, R.A., He, S., Wang, C., Deng, Z., Cai, F., Wang, H., Tian, X., Valdes, P.J., Lamu, C., Xie, J., Yue, Y., Ding. L. 2023. The late Eocene rise of SE Tibet formed an Asian ‘Mediterranean’ climate. Global and Planetary Change 231: 104313. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2023.104313

Nguyen, H.B., Huang, J., Van Do, T., Nguyen, H.M.T., Li, S.F., Nguyen, M.T., Doan, H.D., Zhou, Z.-K., Spicer, R.A., Su, T. 2023. Monsoon influence on plant diversity in northern Indochina: Evidence from the late Miocene Yen Bai flora, northern Vietnam. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 634: 111925. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2023.111925

Amiot, R., Golovneva, L.B., Godefroit, P., Goedert, J., Garcia, G., Lécuyer, C., Fourel, F., Herman, A.B., Spicer, R.A. 2023. High-Latitude Dinosaur Nesting Strategies during the Latest Cretaceous in North-Eastern Russia. Diversity 15, 565. https://doi.org/10.3390/d15040565

Golovneva, L.B., Zolina, A., Spicer, R.A. 2023. The early Paleocene (Danian) climate of Svalbard based on palaeobotanical data. Papers in Palaeontology 9:e1533. https://doi.org/10.1002/spp2.1533

Farnsworth, A., Valdes, P.J., Ding, L., Spicer, R.A., Li, S.H., Su, T., Li, S., Witkowski, C.R., Xiong, Z. 2023. Limits of oxygen isotope paleoaltimetry in Tibet. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 606 (2023) 118040. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2023.118040

Hu, J.-R., Zhang, H., Huang, L.-L., Wu, X.-K., Spicer, R.A., Quan, C., Jian-Hua Jin, J.-H. 2023. The first megafossils of Cibotium within its modern distribution. Journal of Palaeogeography 12(1): 96-106 (00289) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jop.2022.12.002

Khan, M.A., Mahato, S., Spicer, R.A., Spicer, T.E.V., Bera, S., 2022. Siwalik Plant Megafossil Diversity in the Eastern Himalaya: A Review. Plant Diversity https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pld.2022.12.003

 Li, W.-C., Huang, J., Chen, L.-L., Spicer, R.A., Li, S.-F., Liu, J., Gao, Y., Wu, F.-W., Farnsworth, A., Valdes, P.J., Zhou, Z.-K., Su, T. 2022. Podocarpium (Fabaceae) from the late Eocene of central Tibetan Plateau and its biogeographic implication. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 305 104745. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.revpalbo.2022.104745

Hazra, T., Hazra, M., Spicer, R.A., Spicer, T.E.V., Bera, S., Khan, M.A., 2022. First fossil evidence of Hylodesmum palaeoglutinosum from India and comments on its extinction from the subcontinent. Botany Letters 169:1, 140-154, https://doi.org/10.1080/23818107.2021.1962736

Zhou, Z-K, Liu, J., Chen, L., Spicer, R.A., Li, S.-F., Huang, J., Zhang, S.-T., Huang, Y.-J., Jia, L., Hu, J.-J., Su, T., 2022. Cenozoic Plants from Tibet: An extraordinary decade of discovery, understanding and implication. Science China Earth Sciences 65 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-022-9980-9

He, S.-L., Ding, L., Xiong, Z., Spicer, R.A., Farnsworth, A., Valdes, P.J., Wang, C., Cai, F., Wang, H., Sun, Y., Zeng, D., Xie, J., Yue, Y., Zhao, C.-Y. Song, P., Wu, C., 2022. A distinctive Eocene Asian monsoon and modern biodiversity resulted from the rise of Eastern Tibet. Science Bulletin.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scib.2022.10.006

Wu., M.-X., Huang, J., Spicer, R.A., Li S.-F., Zhao, J., Deng, W., Ding, W., Tang, H., Xing, Y., Tian, Y., Zhou, Z.-K. Su, T. 2022. The early Oligocene establishment of modern topography and plant diversity on the southeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. Global and Planetary Change: 214, 103856. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2022.103856

Zhang, X., Gelin, U., Spicer, R.A., Wu, F.-X., Farnsworth, Chen, P., Del Rio, C., Li, S.-F., Liu, J., Huang, J., Spicer, T.E.V., Tomlinson. K.W., Valdes, P.J., Xu, X.-T., Zhang, S.-T., Deng, T., Zhou, Z., Su, T. 2022. Rapid Eocene diversification of spiny plants in subtropical woodlands of Central Tibet. Nature Communications. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-31512-z

Liu, J., Milne, R.I., Zhu, G.-F., Spicer, R.A., Wambulwa, M.C., Wu, Z.-Y., Boufford, D.E., Luo, Y.-H., Provan, J., Yi, T.-S., Cai, J., Wang, H., Gao, L.-M., Li, D.-Z., 2022. Name and scale matter: Clarifying the geography of Tibetan Plateau and adjacent mountain regions Global and Planetary Change 215: 103893.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2022.103893

Spicer, R.A., Farnsworth, A. 2022. The ups and downs of palaeoaltimetric methods: The use of plant fossil and isotope proxies to determine past land surface height. Geophytology 50: 11-36.

Deng, W., De Franceschi, D., Xu, X., Del Rio, C., Low, S.L., Zhou, Z.-K., Spicer, R.A., Ren, L, Yang, R.-Q., Tian, Y., Wu, M., Yang, J., Liang, S., Wappler, T., Su, T. Taxodium-like wood fossil from the Oligocene southwestern China: its arthropod borings and their implications for biogeography and paleoenvironment.Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 302: 104669 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.revpalbo.2022.104669

Huang, J., Spicer, R.A., Li, S.-F., Liu, J., Do, V.T., Nguyen, B.H., Su T. 2022. Paleogene flora and climate of north Vietnam reveals long-term stability. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 593: 110930 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2022.110930

Jia, L.-B., Hu, J.-J., Zhang, S.-T., Su, T., Spicer, R.A., Liu, J., Yang, J.-C., Huang, Y.-J., Zhou, Z.-K. 2022. Bauhinia (Leguminosae) fossils from the late Eocene of southwestern China and its species accumulation in Asia. Diversity 14, 173. https://doi.org/10.3390/d14030173

Del Rio, C., Wang, T.-X., Li, S.-F., Jia, L.-B., Chen, P.-R., Spicer, R.A., Wu, F.-X., Su, T. Fruits of Firmiana and Craigia (Malvaceae) from the Eocene of the Central Tibetan Plateau: biogeographic implications. 2022. Journal of Systematics and Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1111/jse.12845

Hazra, M., Spicer, R.A., Hazra, T., Sarkar, S.K., Spicer, T.E.V., Bera, S., Khan, M.A. Plant-insect interaction patterns in the late Neogene palaeoforest of Chotanagpur plateau, eastern India. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 300: 104633. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.revpalbo.2022.104633

Chen, P.-R., Del Rio, C., Huang, J., Liu, J., Zhao, J.-G., Spicer, R.A., Li, S.F., Wang, T.-X., Zhou, Z.-K., Su, T. Fossil capsular valves of Koelreuteria (Sapindaceae) from the Eocene of central Tibetan Plateau and their biogeographic implications. International Journal of Plant Sciences. 183(4) 307-319 https://doi.org/10.1086/719401

Xiong, Z., Liu, X., Ding, L., Farnsworth, A., Spicer, R.A., Xu, Q., Valdes, P.J., He, S., Zeng, D., Wang, C., Li, Z., Guo, X., Su, T., Zhao, C., Wang, H., Yue, Y. 2022. The Rise and Demise of the Paleogene Central Tibetan Valley. Science Advances 8 https://www.science.org/doi/epdf/10.1126/sciadv.abj0944

Hazra, T., Adroit, B., Hazra, M., Spicer, R.A., Spicer, T.E.V., Bera, S., Khan, M.A., 2022. New discovery of rare insect damage in eastern India (Pliocene) reinforces the biogeographic history of Eurasian ecosystems. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 298: 104589. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.revpalbo.2021.104589 .

Shi, C., Wang, S., Cai, H.-H., Long, X.-X., Zhang, H.-R., Long, X.-X., Tihelka, E., Song, W.-C., Feng, Q., Jiang, R.-X., Cai, C.Y., Lombard, N., Li, X., Yuan, J., Zhu, J.P., Yang, H.-Y., Liu, X.-F., Xiang, Q.-P., Zhao, Z.-T., Long, C.-L., Zhang, X.-C., Peng, H., Li, D.-Z., Schneider, H., Engel, M.S., Wang, Y.D., Spicer, R.A. 2022. Fire-prone Rhamnaceae with South African affinities in Cretaceous Myanmar amber Nature Plants. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-021-01091-w. 

Kumar, S., Hazra, T., Spicer, R.A., Hazra, M., Spicer, T.E.V., Bera, S., Khan, M.A. 2022 Coryphoid palms from the K-Pg of Central India and their biogeographical implications in an Asian perspective: Evidence from Megafossil remains. Plant Diversity. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pld.2022.01.001

Hazra, M., Hazra, T., Kumar, S., Spicer, R.A., Sarkar, S.K., Spicer, T.E.V., Bera, S., Khan, M., 2021. Galling: the dominant insect folivory in Pliocene monsoon-influenced tropical forests of Chotanagpur Plateau, eastern India. Palaeoworld. 31: 550-564. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palwor.2021.09.004

Spicer, R.A. and Farnsworth A. 2021. Progress and challenges in understanding Asian palaeogeography and monsoon evolution from the perspective of the plant fossil record. Journal of Palaeosciences. 70: 213–235. 0031–0174/2021

Hazra, T., Spicer, R.A., Hazra, M., Sarkar, S.K., Spicer, T.E.V., Bera, S., Khan, M.A. 2021. First fossil evidence of leaf-feeding caterpillars from India and their feeding strategies. Lethaia https://doi.org/10.1111/let.12446.

Hazra, T., Hazra, M., Spicer, R.A., Spicer, T.E.V., Mahato, S., Bera, S., Kumar, S. Khan, M. 2021. First fossil evidence of Hylodesmum glutinosum (Muhl. ex Wild.) Ohashi & Mill from India and comments on its extinction from the subcontinent. Botany Letters 169: 140-154.  https://doi.org/10.1080/23818107.2021.1962736

Wambulwa, M.C., Milne, R., Wu, Z.-Y., Spicer, R.A., Provan, J., Luo, Y.-H., Zhu, G.-F., Wang, W.-T., Wang, H., Gao, L.-M., Li, D.-Z., Liu, J. 2021. Spatio-temporal maintenance of flora in the Himalaya biodiversity hotspot: current knowledge and future perspectives. Ecology and Evolution https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.7906

Huang, Y.-J., Zhu, H., Su, T., Spicer, R.A., Hu, J.J., Jia, L.-B., Zhou, Z.-K. 2021. The rise of herbaceous diversity at southeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau: first insight from fossils. Journal of Systematics and Evolution. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jse.12755

Shi, C., Cai, H.-H., Jiang, R.-X., Wang, S., Engel, M.S., Yuan, J., Bai, M., Yang, D., Long, C.L., Zhao, Z.-T., Zhang, D.X., Zhang, X.-C., Peng, H., Wang, Y.D., Spicer, R.A. 2021. Balance scientific and ethical concerns to achieve a nuanced perspective on ‘Blood Amber’. Nature Ecology and Evolution 5: 705-706. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-021-01479-z

Hazra, T., Hazra, M., Spicer, R.A., Spicer, T.E.V., Mahato, S., Bera, S., Kumar, S., Khan, M.A. 2021. Albizia Durazz.(Fabaceae) from the latest Neogene sediments of Jharkhand, eastern India: reappraisal of its biogeography during the Cenozoic of Southeast Asia. Palaeoworld. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palwor.2021.03.004.

Wang, B., Shi, G., Xu, C., Spicer, R.A., Perrichot, V., Schmidt, A.R., Feldberg, K., Heinrichs, J., Chény, C., Pang, H., Liu, X., gao, T., Wang, Z., Ślipiński, A., Solórzano-Kraemer, M.M., Heads, S.W., Thomas, M.J., Sadowski, E-M., Szwedo, J., Azar, D., Nel, A., Liu, Y., Chen, J., Zhang, Q., Luo, C., Yu, T., Zheng, D., Zhang, H., Engel, M.S. 2021. The mid-Miocene Zhangpu biota reveals an outstandingly rich rainforest biome in East Asia. Science Advances 7: eabg0625. https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/7/18/eabg0625.full

Tian, Y. Spicer, R.A., Huang, J., Zhou, Z., Su, T., Widdowson, M., Jia, L., Li, S., Wu, W., Li Xue, L., Luo, P., Zhang, S., 2021. Late Paleocene Tectonic deformation and Biodiversity in Yunnan, SW China: new constrains from zircon U-Pb geochronology. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 565 116929 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2021.116929

Maslova, P., Karasev, E.Y., Xu, S.-L., Spicer, R.A., Liu, X.-Y., Kodrul, T.M., Spicer, T.E.V., Jin, J.-H. 20 21. Variations in morphological and epidermal features of shade and sun leaves of two species: Quercus bambusaefolia and Quercus myrsinifolia (Section Cyclobalanopsis). American Journal of Botany. Accepted

Farnsworth, A., Valdes, P.J., Spicer, R.A., Lin, D., Witkowski, C., Lauretano, V., Li, S.-F., Li, S.-H., Zhou, Z.-K., 2021. Palaeoclimate model-derived thermal lapse rates: towards increasing precision in palaeoaltimetry studies. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 564, 116903 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2021.116903

Bhatia, H., Khan, M.A., Srivastava, G., Hazra, T., Spicer, R.A., Mehrotra, R.C., Spicer, T.E.V., Bera, S., Roy, K., 2021. Late Cretaceous–Paleogene Indian monsoon climate vis-à-vis movement of the Indian plate and the birth of the South Asia Monsoon. Gondwana Research, 93, 89–100. https://authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S1342-937X(21)00028-9

Li, S., Valdes, P. J., Farnsworth, A., Barnard^, T.D., Su, T., Liu, J., Lunt, D.J., Spicer, R.A., Liu, J., Deng, W., Huang, J., Tang, H., Ridgwell, A., Chen, L., Zhou, Z. 2021. Orographic evolution of northern Tibet shaped vegetation and plant diversity in eastern Asia. Science Advances, 7, eabc7741. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abc7741

Su, T., Spicer, R.A., Wu, F.-X., Farnsworth, A., Huang, J., Deng, T., Ding., L., Deng, W.-Y.-D., Huang, Y.-J., Hughes, A., Jia, L.-B., Jin, J.-H., Li, S.-f., Liang, S.-Q., Liu, J., Liu, X.-Y., Sherlock, S., Spicer, T., Srivastava, G., Tang, H., Valdes, P.J., Wang, T.-X., Widdowson, M., Wu, M.-X., Xing, Y.-W., Xu, C.-L., Yang, J., Zhang, S.-T., Zhang, X.-W., Zhao, F., Zhou, Z.-K. 2020. A middle Eocene lowland humid subtropical ‘Shangri-La’ ecosystem in central Tibet. PNAS 117: 32989–32995.  https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2012647117

Spicer, R.A., Yang, J., Spicer, T.E.V., Farnsworth, A. Woody dicot leaf traits as a palaeoclimate proxy: 100 years of development and application. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2020.110138

Bhatia, H., Srivastava, G., Spicer, R.A., Farnsworth, A., Spicer, T.E.V., Mehrotra, R.C., Paudayal, K., Valdes. P.J., 2021. Leaf physiognomy records the Miocene intensification of the South Asia Monsoon. Global and Planetary Change. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2020.103365

Khan, M.A., Spicer, R.A., Spicer, T.E.V., Roy, K., Bera, M., Hazra, T., Mahato S., Bera, S., 2020. Dipterocarpus Gaertn. (Dipterocarpaceae) leaves from the K-Pg of India: A Cretaceous Gondwana origin of the Dipterocarpaceae. Plant Systematics and Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-020-01718-z

Khan, M.A., Hazra, M., Mahato, S., Spicer, R.A., Roy, K., Hazra, T., Bandopadhaya, M.,  Spicer, T.E.V., Bera, S.. 2020. A Cretaceous Gondwana origin of the wax palm subfamily (Ceroxyloideae: Arecaceae) and its palaeobiogeographic context. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 283, 104318. DOI: 10.1016/j.revpalbo.2020.104318.

Zolina, A.A., Golovneva, L.B., Spicer, R.A., 2020. Latest Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) climate of the Koryak Upland of North- East Russia based on a quantitative analysis of a palaeo-polar flora. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 560, 109997. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2020.109997

Tang, H., Li, S.-F., Su, T., Spicer, R.A., Zhang, S.-T., Li, S.-H., Liu, J., Lauretanao, V., Witkowski, C., Spicer, T.E.V., Deng, W.-Y.-D., Wu, Meng-X., Ding, W.N., Zhou, Z.-K., 2020. Early Oligocene vegetation and climate of southwestern China inferred from palynology. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 560, 109988. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2020.109988

Biswas, A., Bera, M., Khan, M.A., Spicer, R.A., Spicer, T.E.V., Acharya, K., Bera, S. 2020. Evidence of fungal decay in petrified legume wood from the Neogene of Bengal Basin, India. Fungal Biology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.funbio.2020.08.003

Hazra, M., Hazra, T., Spicer, R.A., Sarkar, S., Spicer, T.E.V., Bera, S., 2020. In situ occurrence of a gall midge (Insecta, Diptera, Cecidomyiidae) on fossilized angiosperm leaf cuticle fragments from the Pliocene sediments of eastern India. Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology 23, 762–771. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aspen.2020.06.004

Spicer, R.A., Farnsworth, A., Su, T. 2020. Cenozoic topography, monsoons and biodiversity conservation within the Tibetan Region: An evolving story. Plant Diversity. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pld.2020.06.011

Ding, W.-N., Ree, R.H, Spicer, R.A., Xing, W.-W., 2020. Ancient orogenic and monsoon-driven assembly of the world's richest temperate alpine flora. Science 369, 578–581. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abb4484

Li, S.H., Su, T., Spicer, R.A., Xu, C., Sherlock, S., Halton, A., Hoke, G. Tian, Y., Zhou, Z-K. Deng, C.-L., Zhu, R.-X., 2020Oligocene deformation of the Chuandian terrane in the SE margin of the Tibetan Plateau related to the extrusion of Indochina. Tectonics 39, e2019TC005974. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019TC005974.

Spicer, R.A., Su, T., Valdes, P.J., Farnsworth, A., Wu, F.-X., Shi, G., Spicer, T.E.V., Zhou, Z.-K., 2020. Why the 'uplift of the Tibetan Plateau' is a myth. National Science Review nwaa091, https://doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwaa091.

Hasra, T.,Spicer, R.A., Hasra, M., Mahato, S., Spicer, T.E.V., Bera, S., Valdes, P.J., Farnsworth, A., Hughes, A.C., Yang, J., Khan, M.A., 2020. Latest Neogene monsoon of the Chotanagpur Plateau, eastern India, as revealed by fossil leaf architectural signatures. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 545 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2020.109641

Song, B., Spicer, R.A., Zhang,K., Ji, J., Farnsworth, A., Hughes, A.C., Yang, Y., Han, F., Xu, Y., Spicer, T.E.V., Shen, T., Lunt,D.J., Shi,G., 2020. Qaidam Basin leaf fossils show northeastern Tibet was high, wet and cool in the early Oligocene. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 537: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2020.116175

Xiong, Z., Ding, L., Spicer, R.A., Farnsworth, A., Wang, X., Valdes, P.J., Su, T., Zhang, Q., Zhang, L., Cai, F., Wang, H., Li, Z., Song, P., XGuo, X., Yue Y. (2020). The early Eocene rise of the Gonjo Basin, SE Tibet: from Low Desert to High Forest. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 543, 116312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2020.116312

Murray, M., Soh, W.K., Yiotis, C., Spicer, R.A., Lawson, T. McElwain, J.C. 2020. Consistent Relationship between Field-measured Stomatal Conductance and Theoretical Maximum Stomatal Conductance in C3 Woody Angiosperms in Four Major Biomes. International Journal of Plant Sciences.181 (1). Doi:10.1086/706260

Cédric Del Rio, Teng-Xiang Wang, Jia Liu, Shui-Qing Liang, Robert A. Spicer, Fei-Xiang Wu, Zhe-Kun Zhou, Tao Su. Asclepiadospermum gen. nov., the earliest fossil record of Asclepiadoideae (Apocynaceae) from the early Eocene of central Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and its biogeographic implications. American Journal of Botany 107 (1): 1–13. doi: 10.1002/ajb2.1418

Guo, S.-X., Spicer, R.A., Widdowson, M., Herman, A.B., Domogatskaya, K.V. 2019. The Composition of the Middle Miocene (15 Ma) Namling Palaeoflora, South Central Tibet, in the Context of other Tibetan and Himalayan Floras. Review of Palaeobotany and palynology, 271 http://doi.org/10.1016/j.revpalbo.2019.06.011

Wuu Kuang Soh, Charilaos Yiotis, Michelle Murray, Andrew Parnell, Ian J. Wright, Robert A. Spicer, Tracy Lawson, Rodrigo Caballero, Jennifer C. McElwain. 2019. Rising CO₂ rise drives divergence in water-use efficiency of evergreen and deciduous plants. Science Advances 5: eaax7906.

Paul J Valdes, Ding Lin, Alex Farnsworth, Robert A. Spicer, Shi-Hu Li, Su Tao. 2019. Comment on “Revised paleoaltimetry data show low Tibetan Plateau elevation during the Eocene” Technical Comment: 10.1126/science.aax8474. Science.

Zhou, Z.-K., Su, T. Spicer, R.A., 2019 Understanding the Evolution of Biodiversity in Asia. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology (Editorial).

Spicer, R.A., Valdes, P.J., Hughes, A.C., Yang, J., Spicer, T.E.V., Herman, A.B., Farnsworth, A. 2019. New insights into the thermal regime and hydrodynamics of the early Late Cretaceous Arctic. Geological magazine. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756819000463

 Murray, M., Soh, W.K., Yiotis, C. Batke, S., Parnell, A., Spicer, R., Lawson, T., Caballero, R., Wright, I., Purcell, C. McElwain, J. 2019. Convergence in Maximum Stomatal Conductance of C₃ Woody Angiosperms in Natural Ecosystems Across Bioclimatic Zones. Frontiers in Plant Science. 10: Article 558. May 7 2019. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2019.00558

Tang, He; Liu, Jia; Wu, Feixiang; Magner, T.E.V.; Spicer, R.A.; Deng, Wei-Yu-Dong; Xu, Congli; Zhao, Fan; Huang, Jian; Li, Shu-Feng; Su, Tao; Zhou, Zhekun 2019. An extinct genus Lagokarpos reveals a biogeographic connection of the Tibet with other regions in the Northern Hemisphere during the Paleogene. Journal of Systematics and Evolution. https://doi-org.libezproxy.open.ac.uk/10.1111/jse.12505

Jia Liu, Tao Su, Robert A. Spicer, He Tang, Wei-Yu-Dong Deng, Fei-Xiang Wu, Gaurav Srivastava, Teresa Spicer, Truong Van Do, Tao Deng, Zhe-Kun Zhou, 2019. Biotic Interchange through lowlands of Tibetan Plateau suture zones during Paleogene. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 524:33-40.

Su, T., Farnsworth, A., Spicer, R.A., Huang, J., Wu, F.-X. Liu, J.  Li, S.-F., Xing, Y.-W. Huang, Y.-J. Deng, W.-Y.-D. Tang, H. Xu, C.-L. Zhao, F. Srivastava, G., Valdes, P. J., Deng, T. Zhou, Z.-K., 2019. No high Tibetan Plateau until the Neogene. Science Advances. 5:eaav2189.

Maslova, N.P., Karasev, E.V., Kodrul, T.M., Spicer, R.A.,Volkova, L.D., Spicer, T.E.V., Jin, J.-H., Liu, X.-Y. Sun and shade leaf variability in Liquidambar chinensisChampion and Liquidambar formosanaHanse (Altingiaceae): implications for paleobotany. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society.188:296–315. https://doi-org.libezproxy.open.ac.uk/10.1093/botlinnean/boy047

Khan, M.A. Bera, M., Spicer, R.A.,Spicer, T.E.V., Bera, S., 2019. Palaeoclimatic estimates for the late Cenozoic (Mio-Pliocene) Siwalik Flora of Bhutan: Evidence for the development of the South Asian Monsoon in the eastern Himalaya. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 514: 326–335.

Khan, M.A. Bera, M., Spicer, R.A.,Spicer, T.E.V., Bera, S, 2018.Floral diversity and environment during the middle Siwalik sedimentation (Pliocene) in the Arunachal sub-Himalaya. Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12549-018-0351-2

Khan, M.A. Bera, M., Spicer, R.A.,Spicer, T.E.V., Bera, S. 2018. Evidence of simultaneous occurrence of tylosis formation and fungal interaction in a late Cenozoic angiosperm from the eastern Himalaya. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology. 259, 171-184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.revpalbo.2018.10.004

Su, T., Spicer, R.A., Li, S-H., Xu, H., Huang, J., Sherlock, S., Huang, Y-J., Li, S-F., Wang, L., Jia, L-B., Deng, W-Y-D., Deng, C-L. Zhang, S-T, Valdes, P.J., Zhou, Z-K., 2018.  Uplift, Climate and Biotic Changes at the Eocene-Oligocene Transition in Southeast Tibet, National Science Review. https://academic.oup.com/nsr/advance-article/doi/10.1093/nsr/nwy062/5036537

Spicer, R.A. Phytopalaeoaltimetry: using plant fossils to measure past land surface elevation. In: Mountains Climate and Biodiversity, Editors Hoorn, C., Perrigo, A.L. and Antonelli, A.. John Wiley and Sons. ISBN: 978-1-119-15987-2.

Spicer, R.A., 2017. Tibet, the Himalaya, Asian Monsoons and Biodiversity - In what ways are they related? Plant Diversity. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pld.2017.09.001

165. Kahn, M.A., Bera, M., Spicer, R.A., Spicer, T.E.V., Bera, S., 2017. First occurrence of mastixioid (Cornaceae) fossil in India and its biogeographic implications. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology. Available Online https://doi.org/10.1016/j.revpalbo.2017.08.006

Spicer, R.A., Yang, J., Herman, A., Kodrul, T., Aleksandrova, G., Maslova, N., Spicer, T. E. V., Ding. L., Xu, Q., Shukla, A., Srivastava, G., Mehrotra, R.C., Jin, J.-H., 2017. Paleogene Monsoons across India and South China: Drivers of Biotic Change. Gondwana Research 49: 350–363.

Herman, A., Spicer, R.A., Aleksandrova, G.N., Yang, J., Kodrul, T., Maslova, N.P., Spicer, T.E.V., Chen, G., Jin J.-H., 2017. Eocene – Early Oligocene climate and vegetation change in southern China: evidence from the Maoming Basin. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 479: 126–137.

Khan, M.A., Spicer, R.A., Spicer, T.E.V., Bera, S., 2017. Evidence for diversification of Calophyllum L. (Calophyllaceae) in the Neogene Siwalik forests of eastern Himalaya. Plant Systematics and Evolution https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-016-1376-5.

Ding, L., Spicer, R.A., Yang, J., Xu, Q., Cai, F., Li, S., Lai, Q., Wang, H., Spicer, T.E.V., Yue, Y., Shukla, A., Srivastava, G., Khan, M.A., Bera, S., Mehrotra, R.C., 2017. Quantifying the rise of the Himalaya orogen and implications for the South Asian monsoon. Geology 45: 215–218.

Spicer, R.A., Yang, J., Herman, A.B., Kodrul, T., Maslova, N., Spicer, T.E.V., Aleksandrova, Jin, J., 2016. Asian Eocene Monsoons as revealed by leaf architectural signatures. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 449: 61-68.

Li, S.–F., Jacques, F.M.B., Spicer, R.A., Su, T., Spicer, T.E.V., Yang, J., Zhou, Z. 2016. Artificial neural networks reveal a high-resolution climatic signal in leaf physiognomy. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 442: 1-11.

Herman, A.B., Spicer, R.A., Spicer, T.E.V., 2016. Environmental constraints on terrestrial vertebrate behaviour and reproduction in the high Arctic of the Late Cretaceous.  Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 441:317–338.

Sun, B., Wang, Y.-F.,Li, C.S., Yang, J.,Li, J-F., Li, Y.-L., Deng, T., Wang, S.-Q., Zhao, M., Spicer, R.A., Ferguson, D.K., Mehrotra, R.C. 2015. Early Miocene elevation in northern Tibet estimated by palaeobotanical evidence. Nature Scientific Reports 5:10379 DOI: 10. 1038/srep10379.

Li, S.–Y., Mao, L.–M., Spicer, R.A., Lebreton-Anberré, J., Su, T., Sun, M., Zhou, Z.–K. 2015. Late Miocene vegetation dynamics under monsoonal climate in southwestern China. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 425:14-40.

Yang J., Spicer R.A., Spicer T.E.V., Arens N.C., Jacques F.M.B., Su T., Kennedy E.M., Herman A.B., Steart D.C., Srivastava G., Mehrotra R.C., Valdes P.J., Mehrotra N.C., Zhou Z.K., Lai J.S., 2015. Leaf Form-Climate Relationships on the Global Stage: An Ensemble of Characters. Global Ecology and Biogeography 10:1113- 1125.

Spicer, R.A., Herman, A.b., Liao, W., Spicer, T.E.V., Kodrul, T.M., Yang, J., Jin, J. 2014. Cool tropics in the Middle Eocene: Evidence from the Changchang Flora, Hainan Island, China. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 412 (2014) 1–16

Shukla, A., Mehrotra, R.C., Spicer, R.A., Spicer, T.E.V., Kumar, M. 2014. Cool equatorial terrestrial temperatures and the South Asian monsoon in the Early Eocene: Evidence from the Gurha Mine, Rajasthan, India. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 412:187–198.

Utescher, T., Bruch, A.A., Erdei, B., François, L., Ivanov, D., Jacques, F.M.B., Kern, A.K., Liu, Y.-S.(C.), Mosbrugger, V., Spicer, R.A. 2014. The Coexistence Approach—Theoretical background and practical considerations of using plant fossils for climate quantification.  Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 410:58–73

Spicer, R.A., Herman, A.B., Yang, J., Spicer, T.E.V. 2014. Why future climate change is likely to be underestimated: evidence from palaeobotany. J. Bot. Soc. Bengal 67:75–88.

Khan, M., Spicer, R.A., Bera, S., Ghosh, R., Yang, J., Spicer, T.E.V., Guo, S., Su, T., Jacques, F., Grote, P.J., 2014. Miocene to Pleistocene floras and climate of the Eastern Himalayan Siwaliks, and New Palaeoelevation estimates for the Namling-Oiyug Basin, Tibet. Global and Planetary Change 113:1–10.

Khan, M.A., Spicer, R.A., Spicer, T.E.V., Bera, S. 2014. Fossil evidence of insect folivory in the eastern Himalayan Neogene Siwalik forests. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 410:264–277.

Spicer, R.A., Collinson, M.E., 2014. Plants and floral change at the K–Pg boundary: three decades on. Geol. Soc. Am. Spec. Pap. 505:117–132.

Jacques, F.M.B., Su, T., Spicer, R.A., Xing, Y.-W., Huang, Y.-J., Zhou, Z. 2014. Late Miocene southwestern Chinese floristic diversity shaped by the southeastern uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 411:208–215.

Kennedy, E.M., Arens, N.C., Reichgelt, T., Spicer, R.A., Spicer, T.E.V., Stranks, L., Yang, J. 2014. Deriving temperature estimates from Southern Hemisphere leaves. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 412:80–90.

Khan, M.A., Spicer, T.E.V., Spicer, R.A., Bera, S. 2014. Occurrence of Gynocardia odorata Robert Brown (Achariaceae, formerly Flacourtiaceae) from the Plio-Pleistocene sediments of Arunachal Pradesh, northeast India and its palaeoclimatic and phytogeographic significance. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 211:1-9.

Srivastava, G., Spicer, R.A., Spicer, T.E.V., Yang, J., Kumar, M., Mehrotra, R., Mehrotra, N. 2012. Megaflora and palaeoclimate of a Late Oligocene tropical delta, Makum Coalfield, Assam: Evidence for the early development of the South Asian Monsoon. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 342-343, 130-142. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2012.05.002

Kumar, M., Srivastava, G., Spicer, R.A., Spicer, T.E.V., Mehrotra R.C., Mehrotra N.C. 2012. Sedimentology, palynostratigraphy, and palynofacies of the Late Oligocene Makum Coalfield, Assam, India: a window on lowland tropical vegetation during the most recent episode of significant global warmth. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 342- 343, 143-162. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2012.05.001

Hofmann, C-C., Spicer, R.A., Ahlberg, A., Herman, A.B. 2011. Scanning electron microscopy investigation of monads and tetrads of basal core eudicots from the Upper Cretaceous Vilui Basin, Siberia: Evidence for reticulate evolution. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 167, 196-211. DOI 10.1016/j.revpalbo.2011.08.007

Yang, J., Spicer, R.A., Spicer, T.E.V., Li, C-S., 2011. ‘CLAMP Online’: a new web-based palaeoclimate tool and its application to the terrestrial Paleogene and Neogene of North America. Palaeobiodiversity and palaeoenvironments 91, 163-183. DOI 10.1007/s12549-011-0056-2

Daly, R.J., Jolley, D.W., Spicer, R.A., and Ahlberg, A., 2011, A palynological study of an extinct Arctic ecosystem from thePaleocene of northern Alaska. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, v. 166, p. 107-116. 

Daly, R.J., Jolley, D.W., Spicer, R.A., 2011. The role of angiosperms in Palaeocene arctic ecosystems: A palynological study from the Alaskan North Slope. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 309, 374-382. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2011.07.007

Jacques, F.M.B., Tao, S., Spicer, R.A., Xing, Y., Huang, Y., Wang, W., Zhou, Z., 2011. Leaf physiognomy and climate: are monsoon systems different? Global and Planetary Change 76 (1-2), 56–62. doi:10.1016/j.gloplacha.2010.11.009

Spicer, R.A., Bera, S., De Bera, S., Spicer, T.E.V., Srivastava, S., Mehrotra, R., Mehrotra, N., Yang, J., 2011. Why do foliar physiognomic climate estimates sometimes differ from those observed? Insights from taphonomic information loss and a CLAMP case study from the Ganges Delta. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 302, 381-395. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2011.01.024

Teodorides, V., Mazouch, P., Spicer, R.A., Uhl, D., 2011. Refining CLAMP — Investigations towards improving the Climate Leaf Analysis Multivariate Program Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 299, 39-48. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2010.10.031.

Spicer R.A. and Yang, J., 2010. Quantification of Uncertainties in Fossil Leaf Paleoaltimetry - Does Leaf Size Matter? Tectonics, 29, TC6001, doi:10.1029/2010TC002741.

Steart, D.C., Spicer, R.A., Bamford, M.K., 2010. Is southern Africa different? An investigation of the relationship between leaf physiognomy and climate in southern African mesic vegetation. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 162, 607–620. doi:10.1016/j.revpalbo.2010.08.002.

Song, X-Y., Spicer R.A., Yang, J., Yao, Y-F and Li, C.S., 2010. Pollen evidence for an Eocene to Miocene elevation of centralsouthern Tibet predating the rise of the High Himalaya. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatolgy, Palaeoecology. 297: 159-168.

Spicer, R.A. and Herman, A.B. 2010. The Late Cretaceous Environment of the Arctic: A quantitative reassessment using plant fossils. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatolgy, Palaeoecology. 295: 423-442.

Velasco -de Leon, M.P., Spicer, R.A., and Steart, D.C., 2010. Climatic reconstruction of two Pliocene floras from Mexico. Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvionments. 90: 99-110.

Herman, A.B., and Spicer, R.A., 2010. Mid-Cretaceous floras and climate of the Russian high Arctic (Novosibirsk Islands, Northern Yakutia). Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatolgy, Palaeoecology, 295: 409-422.

Moiseeva, M.G., Herman, A.B., and Spicer, R.A., 2009. Late Paleocene Flora of the Northern Alaska peninsula: The Role of Transberingian Plant Migrations and Climate Change. Palaeontological Journal, 43: 1298-1308.

Spicer, R.A., Valdes, P.J., Spicer, T.E.V., Craggs, H.J., Srivastava, G., Mehrotra, R.C., Yang, J., 2009. New developments in CLAMP: calibration using global gridded meteorological data. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatolgy, Palaeoecology, 283: 91- 98.

Spicer, R.A., Daly, R.J., Jolley, D.W., Herman, A,.B., Ahlberg, A., Moiseeva, N., 2009 Climate and Vegetation of the Selandian-Thanetian Paleocene Sagwon Section, Northern Alaska (Palaeolatitude 85°N).In Crouch, E.M., Strong, C.P., Hollis, C.J., (editors) 2009. Climatic and Biotic Events of the Paleogene (CBEP 2009), extended abstracts from an international conference in Wellington, New Zealand, 12-15 January 2009. GNS Science Miscellaneous Series 18, 131- 134.

Teaching interests

Past Contributions to OU Teaching

Course team member S279.

Course team member SXR260.

Tutor SXR 208 Astronomy (Observing the Universe).

Senior Tutor SXR369 Weeks for students with additional requirements.

Author of S199 (Weather and Climate Modelling).

Course Team Chair Course Team Member and author S369 (The Geological Record of Environmental Change).

Course Team, Tutor and Exam Board Member SXR 369 (The Geological Record of Environmental Change Residential School).

Chair of S269 (Earth and Life) Course Team and Exam Board.

More recently I have been contributing to Masters and PhD programmes at Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China and Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Impact and engagement

I have been an academic consultant for numerous television programmes and made several TV and radio appearances. An example is NOVA's 'Arctic Dinosaurs'. 

External collaborations

I am collaborating with Bristol University, UK, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Yunnan, China and The Institute of Tibetan Plateau research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China, all being funded as part of the NERC/NSFC Biosphere Evolution, Transitions & Resilience (BETR) Research Programme. Our project is called 'The evolution of vegetation and biodiversity change during the Palaeogene and early Neogene', but is better known under the acronym "UMBRELLA" (Understanding Monsoons and Biodiversity Relevant to Landscapes and Livelihoods in Asia). https://www.umbrella.bridge.bristol.ac.uk

International links

I have numerous international collaborations involving colleagues in Russia, China, New Zealand, and India.