Contact details
Dr Richard L Abel
Dr. Richard Abel joined the Department of Surgery and Cancer in December 2010. Richie is interested in studying bone quality, mechanisms of growth and development, ageing and senescence. Utilising a comparative and evolutionary perspective.
Richie obtained degrees in Zoology (BSc) and Palaeontology (MSc) before completing a PhD. His thesis examined bone growth and development in the primate pelvis. The study adopted micro-CT and geometric morphometrics to compare relative levels of plasticity and constraint. Both across tissues and species: modern humans, chimpanzees, gorillas and monkeys.
In 2006 Richie joined the University of Manchester as a Teaching Fellow in Anatomy. Aside from traditional comparative anatomy Richie taught medical imaging, primate biology, geometric morphometrics and research skills.
In 2007 Richie was appointed as the Computed Tomography Specialist at the Natural History Museum, London. The job required collaborative CT based research with members of the five scientific departments (Botany, Entomology, Mineralogy, Palaeontology and Zoology) as well as external academics and industrial partners. Richie took part in a wide variety of studies regarding (amongst others) meteorites from Mars, forensic entomology, bird eco-morphology, hammerhead shark olfaction, coral growth, ancient stone tool manufacture, Neanderthal development, dinosaurs, mummified cats and fossil snails that gave birth to live young.
Richie is a research associate at the Natural History Museum (London, UK) and an associate member of Ancient Human Occupation of Great Britain (AHOB3).
Links
Nature Vodcast – The First Britons
New Scientist Vodcast – Shark’s nasal plumbing gives it a nose for blood
Upcoming Talks
Development of fetal trabecular micro-architecture. Australian and New Zealand Orthopaedic Research Society. August 31st - September 2nd 2011.
Characterisation of Gold Ores by X-Ray Computed Tomography. Australian IMM Geometallurgy Conference. September 5-7th 2011.
Recent Talks
"What lies beneath". Public lecture at Natural History Museum (London, UK). April 16th 2011.
“CT reaches flakes other imaging techniques cannot reach”. AHOB Workshop. May 19-20th 2011.
"Back to life, Back to reality". MSTN meeting. May 25-26th 2011.
Computed tomography for zoologists: A beginners guide to the revolution. DICE Seminar Series. March 2011.
“CT killed the radio(graphic) star”. MSTN Meeting. February 2011.
