Final theses

Jaime Suárez Ibarra

Evolvability of planktonic Foraminifera: Adaptive reactions to environmental change

Supervisor: Manuel Weinkauf

My research centered at biostratigraphy and palaeoceanography of the late Quaternary, based on planktonic Foraminifera—including geochemistry and compositional analyses—of the western South Atlantic. At the oment, I develop my Ph.D. studies at the Univerzita Karlova (Czech Republic), under the supervision of Dr Manuel Weinkauf, where I investigate the evolvability of late Caenozoic planktonic Foraminifera from the North Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea in response to extreme environmental changes.

Matic Rifl

The Late Triassic–Middle Jurassic microfossils from the central European Alpids

Supervisor: Katarína Holcová

My project focuses on the palaeontological analysis of the late Triassic to early Jurassic sections in central European Alpids. During the studied interval the Late Triassic mass extinction event propagated global environmental changes, and represent the second biggest extinction since the Cambrian which affected both the terrestrial and marine ecosystems. The goal of my research is to implement novel technologies and approaches in extraction and quantifications of the calcifying marine microorganisms as a means of evaluations of the effect of global ocean acidification at the Triassic – Jurassic boundary. I aim to assess the geological record of both deeper water as well as shallow marine environments using calcareous nannoplankton and the scope of microbioerosion using microborings. Besides Mesozoic micropaleontology I frequently conduct miropaleontological field sampling to provide insights in biostratigraphy over wider variety of lithologies across Europe.

Victory Armida Janine Jaques

Implementation of novel micropalaeontological methods to the field of cultural heritage research

Supervisor: Katarína Holcová

Cultural Heritage provenance analysis through calcareous nannofossils

Extraction methodology of calcareous nannofossils from painted micro-samples and using calcareous nannofossils for provenance

Assemblage determination and comparison between known chalk historical quarries Comparison with real paintings

Marta Leticia Herenio Kerkhoff

Caenozoic microborings in calcareous substrates

Supervisor: Katarína Holcová

I am currently working with microboring structures present in the tests of benthic foraminifera ranging from the Upper Oligocene to Middle Miocene, from different parts of the Paratethys marine realm. The aims of my study are based on the ichnological characterization of these structures and to identify the possible palaeoecological and palaeoenvironmental conditions related to these assemblages. I completed my Master’s degree at the University of Vale do Rio dos Sinos in 2018 and in my master’s thesis I worked with the taphonomic aspects of a fossilization process involving the mobilization of iron by microorganisms and exceptional preservation of fossil plants from the Triassic, southernmost part of Brazil. 

Medhavi Srivastava

The adaptability of the marine phytoplankton to climate change and its impact on the marine carbon cycle

Supervisor: Manuel Weinkauf

Being an interdisciplinary student, I worked on projects from diverse streams of environmental science before joining my Ph.D. project at the Univerzita Karlova. My research interest lies in delving the vastly significant role of blue carbon systems on global climate scales. Presently, I am trying to do so through my doctoral research under the supervision of Dr Manuel Weinkauf. My work investigates the adaptability of the marine phytoplankton to climate change and its impact on the marine carbon cycle. My research aims at studying the sediment material from the past, potentially aided with culture studies, to predict future changes in the marine carbon and carbonate cycles.

Lorenzo De Bortoli

Calcareous nannoplankton from the Burdigalian/Langhian boundary interval – correlation of Paratethys and Mediterranean evolution

Supervisor: Katarína Holcová

Vladimír Suchánek

The late Pleistocene and Holocene Thecamoebians from the Šumava Mts.

Supervisor: Katarína Holcová