Catherine Mary Reid is a New Zealand

paleontologist Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of foss ...

, and is a full professor at the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...

, specialising in

palaeogeography Palaeogeography (or paleogeography) is the study of historical geography, generally physical landscapes. Palaeogeography can also include the study of human or cultural environments. When the focus is specifically on landforms, the term pale ...

of waterways and the evolution and ecology of

bryozoans Bryozoa (also known as the Polyzoa, Ectoprocta or commonly as moss animals) are a phylum of simple, aquatic invertebrate animals, nearly all living in sedentary colonies. Typically about long, they have a special feeding structure called a l ...

Academic career

Reid earned a Master in Science at the

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn ...

in 1996, where she was awarded a Hastie Scholarship by the

Geoscience Society of New Zealand Earth science or geoscience includes all fields of natural science related to the planet Earth. This is a branch of science dealing with the physical, chemical, and biological complex constitutions and synergistic linkages of Earth's four spheres ...

. Reid then completed a

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper ''Piled Higher and Deeper'' (also known as ''PhD Comics''), is a newsp ...

at the

University of Tasmania The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is a public research university, primarily located in Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1890, it is Australia's fourth oldest university. Christ College (University of Tasmania), Christ College, one of the unive ...

on aquatic invertebrates called bryozoans in Tasmania, New South Wales and Southern Thailand, supervised by Clive Burrett and Pat Quilty. Reid joined the faculty of the University of Canterbury, rising to full professor in the School of Earth and Environment in 2024. Reid is interested in the ecology and evolution of bryozoans, and how changes in ocean chemistry impact on them, and has researched these internationally. In New Zealand, she investigates the geological history of waterways and estuaries, using sedimentology and microfossils to investigate the human impacts on these areas. She is a member of the Waterways Centre, a joint research initiative between Lincoln University and the University of Canterbury to improve freshwater management. Reid was an associate investigator on a 2021 funded

Marsden grant Marsden grants are the main form of contestable funding for fundamental, 'blue skies' research in New Zealand. Grants are made in all areas of research, in both science and the humanities. The grants are made from the Marsden Fund, which was establ ...

titled ''Avian diversity in the aftermath of the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K/Pg) mass extinction: Zealandia as a hub for the evolution of marine birds'', and led by Vanesa De Pietri at Canterbury. Reid was part of a team investigating ancient penguin fossils, including the recently discovered '' Kupoupou stilwelli''. In 2014 she served as secretary on the national committee of the Geoscience Society of New Zealand.

Selected works

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References

New Zealand academics New Zealand women academics Recipients of Marsden grants University of Auckland alumni University of Tasmania alumni Academic staff of the University of Canterbury New Zealand paleontologists {{DEFAULTSORT:Reid, Catherine