Sam Giles Explained

Sam Giles
Workplaces:University of Oxford
Alma Mater:University of Bristol (BSc)
University of Oxford (DPhil)
Doctoral Advisor:Matt Friedman
Fields:Actinopterygii
Acanthodii
Placodermi
Virtual Palaeontology
Thesis Title:How to build a bony vertebrate in evolutionary time
Awards:L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards (2017)
Website:https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/staff/profiles/gees/giles-sam.aspx
Thesis Url:https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.711849
Thesis Year:2015

Sam Giles is a palaeobiologist and Professor in Vertebrate Palaeontology at the University of Birmingham. Her research combines modern imaging with fossils to understand the evolution of life, in particular that of early fish, and in 2015 "rewrote" the vertebrate family tree.[1] She was a 2017 L'Oréal-UNESCO Rising Star and won the 2019 Geological Society of London Lyell Fund.

Early life and education

Giles studied geology at the University of Bristol, graduating in 2011.[2] Giles completed her doctor of philosophy at the University of Oxford in 2015,[3] where she was a member of St Hugh's College.[4] She worked with Matt Friedman on early ray-finned fishes.[5]

Career and research

In 2015, Giles was appointed a junior research fellow at Christ Church, Oxford. Giles was awarded a L'Oréal-UNESCO fellowship in 2016, which would allow her to study the anatomy of vertebrate's brains.[6] [7] In 2017, Giles was awarded a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship to study the evolution of the Actinopterygii, otherwise known as ray-finned fishes, which comprise more than half of all living vertebrates.[8] [9] In 2018, she joined the School of Geography, Earth & Environmental Sciences at the University of Birmingham as a member of academic staff.[10]

Giles uses x-ray tomography to study the bone structure of Actinopterygii and is one of the leading experts on the evolutionary relationships and adaptations of early fish. In particular, she has been involved in research related to the origin of gnathostomes, or jawed vertebrates, and the relationships of early fishes, including various extinct groups such as placoderms and the divergence of chondrichthyans (cartilaginous fish) and osteichthyans (bony fish).[11] [12] [13] She has also published on the early evolution of the dermal skeleton.[14] [15] A foundational component of her work is the use of computed tomography (CT) scanning in order to study the internal anatomy of fossils[16] [17] [18] [19] and to reconstruct the soft tissue structures that are not directly preserved.[20] [21] Giles is also a major contributor to research relating to equitable practices in academia[22] [23] and paleontology.[24] Giles' research has been published in leading scientific journals, including Nature, eLife,[25] Current Biology,[26] and Proceedings of the Royal Society B and has been covered by numerous media outlets.[27] [28] [29] [30] [31] She has contributed to naming numerous new species of extinct fish, outlined below:

YearTaxonAuthors
2018Pickeringius acanthophorus sp. nov.Choo, Lu, Giles, Trinajstic, & Long[32]
2018Scopulipiscis saxciput gen. et sp. nov.Latimer & Giles[33]
2017Ptctolepis brachynotus gen. et sp. nov.Lu, Giles, Friedman, & Zhu[34]
2015Janusiscus schultzei gen. et sp. nov.Giles, Friedman, & Brazeau
2015Raynerius splendens gen. et sp. nov.Giles, Darras, Clément, Blieck, & Friedman[35]
She has written for the HuffPost and given several popular science lectures.[36] [37] In 2019, Giles was awarded the Geological Society of London Lyell Fund, which is awarded to researchers on the basis of outstanding published research.[38] [39] She serves on the council of the Palaeontological Association[40] and the Palaeontographical Society.[41]

Personal life

Giles is gay and is included in 500 Queer Scientists.[42]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Callier. Viviane. 2015-01-12. Ancient fossil may rewrite fish family tree. 2021-01-02. Science AAAS. en.
  2. Web site: Dr Sam Giles Christ Church, Oxford University. chch.ox.ac.uk. en. 2018-09-29.
  3. DPhil. University of Oxford. How to build a bony vertebrate in evolutionary time. Sam. Giles. 2015. . ora.ox.ac.uk. 946068637.
  4. News: Dr Sam Giles wins L'Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science Fellowship St Hugh's College, Oxford. 2016-11-02. St Hugh's College, Oxford. 2018-09-29. en-GB.
  5. Giles. Sam. Friedman. Matt. 2014. Virtual reconstruction of endocast anatomy in early ray-finned fishes (Osteichthyes, Actinopterygii). Journal of Paleontology. en-US. 88. 4. 636–651. 10.1666/13-094. 2014JPal...88..636G . 85928959. 0022-3360.
  6. Web site: Dr Sam Giles Awarded 2017 L'Oreal-UNESCO International Rising Talent Fellowship Christ Church, Oxford University. chch.ox.ac.uk. en. 2018-09-29.
  7. Web site: Two Oxford scientists selected for 'Women in Science' Fellowships University of Oxford. ox.ac.uk. en. 2018-09-29.
  8. Web site: Sam Giles . Royal Society. London. royalsociety.org. en-GB. 2018-09-29.
  9. Web site: Royal Society announces Dorothy Hodgkin Fellows for 2017 Royal Society. royalsociety.org. en-GB. 2018-09-29.
  10. Web site: Sam Giles. 2021-01-02. University of Birmingham. en-GB.
  11. Giles. Sam. Friedman. Matt. Brazeau. Martin D.. 2015. Osteichthyan-like cranial conditions in an Early Devonian stem gnathostome. Nature. En. 520. 7545. 82–85. 10.1038/nature14065. 25581798. 5536226. 2015Natur.520...82G. 0028-0836.
  12. Giles. Sam. Rücklin. Martin. Donoghue. Philip C.J.. 2013-02-02. Histology of "placoderm" dermal skeletons: Implications for the nature of the ancestral gnathostome. Journal of Morphology. 274. 6. 627–644. 10.1002/jmor.20119. 23378262. 5176033. 0362-2525. free.
  13. Giles. Sam. Xu. Guang-Hui. Near. Thomas J.. Friedman. Matt. 2017. Early members of 'living fossil' lineage imply later origin of modern ray-finned fishes. Nature. En. 549. 7671. 265–268. 10.1038/nature23654. 0028-0836. 28854173. 2017Natur.549..265G. 205259531.
  14. Rücklin. Martin. Giles. Sam. Janvier. Philippe. Donoghue. Philip C. J.. 2011-11-01. Teeth before jaws? Comparative analysis of the structure and development of the external and internal scales in the extinct jawless vertebrate Loganellia scotica. Evolution & Development. 13. 6. 523–532. 10.1111/j.1525-142x.2011.00508.x. 23016936. 44472846. 1520-541X.
  15. Brazeau. Martin D.. Giles. Sam. Dearden. Richard P.. Jerve. Anna. Ariunchimeg. Ya.. Zorig. E.. Sansom. Robert. Guillerme. Thomas. Castiello. Marco. 2020-09-07. Endochondral bone in an Early Devonian 'placoderm' from Mongolia. Nature Ecology & Evolution. en. 4. 11. 1477–1484. 10.1038/s41559-020-01290-2. 32895518. 2020NatEE...4.1477B . 219604251 . 2397-334X. 10044/1/82739. free.
  16. Giles. Sam. Coates. Michael I.. Garwood. Russell J.. Brazeau. Martin D.. Atwood. Robert. Johanson. Zerina. Friedman. Matt. 2015. Endoskeletal structure inCheirolepis(Osteichthyes, Actinopterygii), An early ray-finned fish. Palaeontology. en. 58. 5. 849–870. 10.1111/pala.12182. 0031-0239. 4950109. 27478252.
  17. Giles. Sam. Darras. Laurent. Clément. Gaël. Blieck. Alain. Friedman. Matt. 2015. An exceptionally preserved Late Devonian actinopterygian provides a new model for primitive cranial anatomy in ray-finned fishes. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. en. 282. 1816. 20151485. 10.1098/rspb.2015.1485. 0962-8452. 4614771. 26423841.
  18. Argyriou. Thodoris. Giles. Sam. Friedman. Matt. Romano. Carlo. Kogan. Ilja. Sánchez-Villagra. Marcelo R.. 2018-11-01. Internal cranial anatomy of Early Triassic species of †Saurichthys (Actinopterygii: †Saurichthyiformes): implications for the phylogenetic placement of †saurichthyiforms. BMC Evolutionary Biology. 18. 1. 161. 10.1186/s12862-018-1264-4. 30382811. 6211452. 2018BMCEE..18..161A . 1471-2148. free.
  19. Dobson. Claire. Giles. Sam. Johanson. Zerina. Liston. Jeff. Friedman. Matt. 2019-09-03. Cranial osteology of the Middle Jurassic (Callovian) Martillichthys renwickae (Neopterygii, Pachycormiformes) with comments on the evolution and ecology of edentulous pachycormiforms. Papers in Palaeontology. 7. 111–136. 10.1002/spp2.1276. 2027.42/167090 . 202919395 . 2056-2802. free.
  20. Giles. Sam. Rogers. Molly. Friedman. Matt. 2016-05-10. Bony labyrinth morphology in early neopterygian fishes (Actinopterygii: Neopterygii). Journal of Morphology. 279. 4. 426–440. 10.1002/jmor.20551. 27165962. 3867139. 0362-2525.
  21. Giles. Sam. Friedman. Matt. 2014-07-15. Virtual reconstruction of endocast anatomy in early ray-finned fishes (Osteichthyes, Actinopterygii). Journal of Paleontology. 88. 4. 636–651. 10.1666/13-094. 2014JPal...88..636G . 85928959. 0022-3360.
  22. Giles. Sam. Jackson. Chris. Stephen. Natasha. 2020-01-21. Barriers to fieldwork in undergraduate geoscience degrees. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment. en. 1. 2. 77–78. 10.1038/s43017-020-0022-5. 2020NRvEE...1...77G. 2662-138X. free.
  23. Giles. Sam. Greene. Sarah. Ashey. Kate. Dunne. Emma. Edgar. Kirsty. Hanson. Emma. 2020-05-01. Getting the basics right: a field-teaching primer on toilet stops in the field. 22nd EGU General Assembly. 11723. 10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-11723 . 2020EGUGA..2211723G . free.
  24. Giles. Sam. Warnock. Rachel. Dunne. Emma. Saupe. Erin. Soul. Laura. Lloyd. Graeme. 2020-05-01. Are we reaching gender parity among Palaeontology authors?. 22nd EGU General Assembly. 11767. 10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-11767 . 2020EGUGA..2211767G . free .
  25. Clement. Alice M. King. Benedict. Giles. Sam. Choo. Brian. Ahlberg. Per E. Young. Gavin C. Long. John A. 2018. Neurocranial anatomy of an enigmatic Early Devonian fish sheds light on early osteichthyan evolution. eLife. en. 7. 10.7554/eLife.34349. 2050-084X. 5973833. 29807569 . free .
  26. Lu. Jing. Giles. Sam. Friedman. Matt. den Blaauwen. Jan L.. Zhu. Min. 2016. The Oldest Actinopterygian Highlights the Cryptic Early History of the Hyperdiverse Ray-Finned Fishes. Current Biology. en. 26. 12. 1602–1608. 10.1016/j.cub.2016.04.045. 0960-9822. 27212403. free.
  27. News: 2015-01-13. Ancient 420-million-year-old fossil hints of bony fish and cartilaginous fish common ancestor. en-US. ZME Science. 2018-09-29.
  28. News: Two-faced fish clue that our ancestors 'weren't shark-like'. en. ScienceDaily. 2018-09-29.
  29. News: Fossil fish reveals sharks lost bony armour early in their evolution Imperial News Imperial College London. en-GB. Imperial News. 2018-09-29.
  30. News: Ancient fish skulls shake up the vertebrate evolutionary tree. en-us. Ars Technica. 2018-09-29.
  31. News: 2017-08-30. Shaking up the fish family tree: 'Living fossil' not as old as we thought. en-US. University of Michigan News. 2018-09-29.
  32. Choo. Brian. Lu. Jing. Giles. Sam. Trinajstic. Kate. Long. John A.. 2018-12-16. Smith. Andrew. A new actinopterygian from the Late Devonian Gogo Formation, Western Australia. Papers in Palaeontology. en. 5. 2. 343–363. 10.1002/spp2.1243. 2056-2802. free.
  33. Latimer. Ashley E.. Giles. Sam. 2018-08-15. A giant dapediid from the Late Triassic of Switzerland and insights into neopterygian phylogeny. Royal Society Open Science. en. 5. 8. 180497. 10.1098/rsos.180497. 2054-5703. 6124034. 30225040. 2018RSOS....580497L.
  34. Lu. Jing. Giles. Sam. Friedman. Matt. Zhu. Min. 2017-12-05. A new stem sarcopterygian illuminates patterns of character evolution in early bony fishes. Nature Communications. 8. 1. 1932. 10.1038/s41467-017-01801-z. 29203766. 5715141 . 2017NatCo...8.1932L. 2041-1723. free.
  35. Giles. Sam. Darras. Laurent. Clément. Gaël. Blieck. Alain. Friedman. Matt. 2015-10-07. An exceptionally preserved Late Devonian actinopterygian provides a new model for primitive cranial anatomy in ray-finned fishes. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. en. 282. 1816. 20151485. 10.1098/rspb.2015.1485. 0962-8452. 4614771. 26423841.
  36. Web site: Dr Sam Giles. HuffPost UK. en. 2018-09-29.
  37. Web site: Fossil Fish. birmingham.ac.uk. en-gb. 2018-09-29.
  38. Web site: The Geological Society of London - Geological Society Awards 2019. www.geolsoc.org.uk. 2019-03-04.
  39. Web site: The Geological Society of London - The Wollaston, Lyell, Murchison and William Smith Funds. www.geolsoc.org.uk. 2019-03-04.
  40. Web site: Council (2020) The Palaeontological Association. 2021-01-02. www.palass.org.
  41. Web site: The Palaeontographical Society - Council 2019-2020. 2021-01-02. www.palaeosoc.org.
  42. Web site: Sam Giles . . 17 February 2023.

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