Amr S. Deaf,^1,2,*,** Ian C. Harding,^1,*** John E.A. Marshall<sup>1,****

1</sup>aSchool of Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton, Europea
²bGeology Department, Faculty of Science, Assiut University, Assiut, 71516, Egypt

^*Corresponding author. Email: amr.daif@science.au.edu.eg
^** AMR S. DEAF was appointed as a lecturer in Palynology, Stratigraphy and Palaeoecology at the Department of Geology, Assiut University, Egypt in 2010. He received a BSc in geology in 1997, and an MSc in Palynology during 2003, from the same institution. Amr obtained his PhD for research on the palynostratigraphy, palaeoclimate, palaeoecology and hydrocarbon potential of the Cretaceous rocks of northern Egypt, from the National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton, U.K. in 2010. His research interests are palynology, stratigraphy, palaeoecology, palaeoclimatology, palaeoceanography and petroleum geology, specially on the Mesozoic of the Middle East. Quaternary geology of Egypt and other West African countries is another area of research interest.
^*** IAN C. HARDING is a reader in Palaeoceanography, Micropalaeontology, and Palynology at the National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton, U.K. He received his BSc in Geology from Nottingham University in 1982, and his PhD in Micropalaeontology from Cambridge University in 1986. His research interest is focused on palaeoclimate change and palaeoenvironmental reconstruction using micropalaeontological (palynological) proxies, especially in the Paleogene. The development and integration of dinoflagellate cysts, palynofacies analysis and geochemical indices as palaeoceanographic proxies is a central research goal, and he has special interest in hyperthermal events and greenhouse-icehouse transition, and the sedimentological and micropalaeontological investigation of taphonomic processes involved in exceptional fossil preservation, especially high-resolution analysis of laminated and finely bedded sediments. Ian was the Chair of Palynology Group of The Micropalaeontological Society (TMS) from 2005 to 2010, and the TMS representative on the board of the International Federation of Palynological Societies from 2008 to 2010. He was Director at Large of the American Association of Stratigraphic Palynologists-The Palynology Society from 2009 to 2011, President 2012–2013, and Past President 2013–2014.
^**** JOHN E.A. MARSHALL is a Professor of Earth Science at the National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton, U.K. John obtained a BA in Natural Sciences from University of Cambridge in 1976, and his PhD from the Department of Botany, University of Bristol in 1981. He subsequently worked at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and Gearhart Geodata in Aberdeen. His research interests are Mid Palaeozoic mass extinction events, Devonian terrestrial palaeoclimates and the Earth System, the spread of the Devonian forests, Devonian oil and gas reservoirs, early seed-plants, the age and environment of the early tetrapods, organic matter-waste water interactions in waste tips and thermal maturity determination including vitrinite and chitinozoan reflectivity and quantitative spore colour. He has worked particularly in South America, Greenland, Scotland, Spitsbergen and China. John was the President of the Commission Internationale de la Microflore du Paléozoïque (CIMP) from 2006 to 2010, and a visiting Professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China from 2010 to 2011. He is currently the Chair of the Sub-Commission on Devonian Stratigraphy and Palynology Subject Editor of the Journal of Micropalaeontology.