Alex F Wall, PhD

Earth Scientist
Dickson, ACT, Australia • 0457 252 302 • alexfwall@gmail.com
linkedin.com/in/alexfwall • alexfwall.github.io/Palaeomancer/

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Summary Statement
Education
Experience
Publications
Professional Presentations
Competencies
Professional Development
Service and Leadership
Funding, Awards, and Honours
Public Outreach and Media

Summary Statement

Interdisciplinary Earth Scientist with expertise in palaeoecology, geochemistry, and sedimentology. Extensive experience in fieldwork, laboratory analysis, and data visualisation. Passionate about big questions and diverse perspectives. Research aimed at uncovering and shaping Earth’s story.

Education

PhD in Earth and Environmental Sciences

University of Wollongong, Australia | July 2024

Thesis: Exploring Environmental and Climatic Complexity between Sunda and Sahul: Insights from Wallacea using Multiproxy Speleothem and Lacustrine Records
Supervisors: A/Prof Tim Cohen, Prof Richard “Bert” Roberts, Prof Andy Baker, A/Prof Janelle Stevenson
Focus: Palaeoecology, geochemistry, sedimentology, time-series analysis, environmental reconstructions

Master of Science in Geology

University of Cincinnati, USA | August 2016

Thesis: Bellwether of the Canaries: Anthropogenic Effects on the Land Snail Fauna of the Canary Islands
Supervisors: Dr Yurena Yanes, Dr Arnold I. Miller
Focus: Malacology, palaeoecology, GIS analysis, statistical modelling

Bachelor of Science in Geoscience

University of Iowa, USA | December 2007

Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy

University of Iowa, USA | December 2007

Experience

Research Officer

School of Culture, History and Language, Australian National University
November 2024–Present

Conduct fieldwork across diverse Australian landscapes, collecting sedimentological and palaeoecological samples.
Train graduate students in laboratory procedures and analyses.
Perform radiocarbon sample preparation and analysis, including running the line.
Maintain laboratory equipment and manage research materials, ensuring safe and efficient operations.
Support collaborative research projects by liaising with interdisciplinary teams, Traditional Custodians, and other stakeholders.
Contribute to research outputs, assisting in manuscript preparation and data analysis.
Developed a research-quality 3D printed pollen trap design.

Postdoctoral Fellow

School of Culture, History and Language, Australian National University
November 2022–November 2024

Developed VegeMap, a national citizen science initiative monitoring modern Australian pollen dispersal.
Established a pollen monitoring network across Australia, from the Daintree Rainforest to the Strzelecki Desert.
Designed and conducted vegetation surveys, collecting and analysing large datasets using R and GIS.
Coordinated laboratory work, developing a novel method for extracting pollen from a cotton substrate.
Co-advised a PhD student on sedimentology (ongoing).
Collaborated with ecologists, geochemists, and archaeologists to investigate past climate-environment interactions.
Participated in outreach initiatives, presenting VegeMap to schools, science festivals, and media platforms.

PhD Student, Demonstrator, Lab Assistant

Earth and Environmental Science, University of Wollongong
August 2018–June 2024

Conducted PhD research reconstructing Holocene climate and environmental change in eastern Indonesia using palynological, geochemical, and sedimentological proxies.
Led time-series and spectral analyses on sediment core and speleothem samples.
Demonstrated in field and lab-based courses: From the Field to the Lab, Fluvial Geomorphology, Planet Earth.
Performed laboratory analyses: pollen preparation, stable isotope and uranium-thorium dating, radiocarbon dating, SEM transmission, cross-polar microscopy.

Biology Instructor

Grand View University, Des Moines, IA
August 2017–April 2018

Taught and demonstrated laboratory sections for General Biology I and How Life Works courses.
Designed and implemented hands-on, inquiry-based learning activities.
Assisted students in developing scientific reasoning and laboratory skills.

Master’s Student, Researcher

Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati
August 2014–August 2016

Conducted Master’s thesis research on anthropogenic effects on land snail fauna of the Canary Islands, published in Biodiversity and Conservation.
Led field sampling at 60 localities, collecting over 34,000 land snail subfossils to assess biodiversity shifts.
Applied statistical and GIS methods to analyse ecological patterns.
Co-led the Quantitative Methods in R workshop.
Served as a field demonstrator for courses in Palaeontology and Stratigraphy.

Assistant to the Associate Director for Outreach

Paleontological Research Institution (PRI), Ithaca, NY
February 2011–June 2014

Liaised with Cornell University on NSF-funded science education initiatives.
Conducted professional development workshops for secondary school Earth science teachers.
Developed curriculum materials for the Teacher-Friendly Guides to Geology series.
Designed and implemented Virtual Field Experiences, digitising Devonian fossil specimens.
Trained staff and students on the Institution’s SEM.
Co-led a GSA field trip along the Rocky Mountain Front Range.
Organised and convened the 2011 & 2012 PRI Summer Symposiums.

Collections Intern

Paleontological Research Institution (PRI), Ithaca, NY
June 2010–February 2011

Curated and catalogued historically significant malacological collections.
Assisted with specimen identification, curation, and database management.

Teacher

Kojen English Language Schools, Taipei, Taiwan
June 2008–January 2010

Designed lesson plans and taught English as a second language to preschool and elementary students.
Implemented interactive, immersive language-learning techniques.

Collections Assistant

University of Iowa Paleontology Repository, Iowa City, IA
November 2006–May 2008

Digitised type specimens and performed curatorial work on palaeontological collections.
Processed specimen loans and developed standard SEM and light photography procedures.

Publications

Boesl, F; Adhityatama, S; Wall, AF. (2025).
A submerged landscape at the entrance of Sahul.
In: West New Guinea: Social, Biological, and Material Histories (pp. 61-77). ANU Press.
Link

Wall, AF. (2024).
Pollen and pedagogy: Dispersing knowledge with VegeMap.
Quaternary Australasia, 41(1), 10-11.
Link

Wall, AF; Yanes, Y; Miller, J; Miller, AI. (2017).
Bellwether of the Canaries: Anthropogenic effects on the land snail fauna of the Canary Islands.
Biodiversity and Conservation.
Link

Kissel, RA; Wall, AF. (2016).
Topography of the Southwestern US.
In: Lucas, MD; Ross, RM; Swaby, AN (eds.), The Teacher-Friendly Guide to the Earth Science of the Southwestern US. Paleontological Research Institution, Ithaca, New York.
Link

Colpaert, C; Nikitenko, B; Khafaeva, S; Wall, AF. (2016).
The evolution of Late Callovian to Early Kimmeridgian foraminiferal associations from the central part of the Russian Sea (Makar’yev section, Volga River Basin, Russia).
Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology.
Link

Kissel, RA; Wall, AF. (2015).
Geologic History of the South Central US.
In: Lucas, MD; Ross, RM; Swaby, AN (eds.), The Teacher-Friendly Guide to the Earth Science of the South Central US. Paleontological Research Institution, Ithaca, New York.
Link

McCann, L; Moore, A; Wall, AF; Lewis, G; Parrish, JT. (2015).
Soils of the Western US.
In: Lucas, MD; Ross, RM; Swaby, AN (eds.), The Teacher-Friendly Guide to the Earth Science of the Western US. Paleontological Research Institution, Ithaca, New York.
Link

Allmon, WD; Kissel, RA; Wall, AF. (2015).
Fossils of the South Central US.
In: Lucas, MD; Ross, RM; Swaby, AN (eds.), The Teacher-Friendly Guide to the Earth Science of the South Central US. Paleontological Research Institution, Ithaca, New York.
Link

Wall, AF. (2014).
Glaciers of the Midwestern US.
In: Lucas, MD; Ross, RM; Swaby, AN (eds.), The Teacher-Friendly Guide to the Earth Science of the Midwestern US. Paleontological Research Institution, Ithaca, New York.
Link

Wall, AF. (2014).
Mineral Resources of the Midwestern US.
In: Lucas, MD; Ross, RM; Swaby, AN (eds.), The Teacher-Friendly Guide to the Earth Science of the Midwestern US. Paleontological Research Institution, Ithaca, New York.
Link

Kissel, RA; Wall, AF. (2014).
Geologic History of the Midwestern US.
In: Lucas, MD; Ross, RM; Swaby, AN (eds.), The Teacher-Friendly Guide to the Geology of the Midwestern US. Paleontological Research Institution, Ithaca, New York.
Link

Kissel, RA; Wall, AF. (2014).
Rocks of the Midwestern US.
In: Lucas, MD; Ross, RM; Swaby, AN (eds.), The Teacher-Friendly Guide to the Geology of the Midwestern US. Paleontological Research Institution, Ithaca, New York.
Link

Wall, AF. (2014).
Topography of the Midwestern US.
In: Lucas, MD; Ross, RM; Swaby, AN (eds.), The Teacher-Friendly Guide to the Earth Science of the Midwestern US. Paleontological Research Institution, Ithaca, New York.
Link

Wall, AF; Allmon, WD. (2014).
Fossils of the Midwestern US.
In: Lucas, MD; Ross, RM; Swaby, AN (eds.), The Teacher-Friendly Guide to the Earth Science of the Midwestern US. Paleontological Research Institution, Ithaca, New York.
Link

Wall, AF; Parrish, JT. (2014).
Climate of the Midwestern US.
In: Lucas, MD; Ross, RM; Swaby, AN (eds.), The Teacher-Friendly Guide to the Earth Science of the Midwestern US. Paleontological Research Institution, Ithaca, New York.
Link

Professional Presentations

Wall, AF. (2023).
Introducing VegeMap. Poster presented at International Quaternary Association (INQUA) Conference, 29 Jul; Rome, Italy.

Wall, AF. (2020).
Late Quaternary palaeoenvironmental records of tropical Australasia. Talk presented at Australasian Quaternary Association (AQUA) Conference, 23 Jul; Virtual.

(Invited) Wall, AF. (2020).
Northern Gateway Flagship. Talk presented at CABAH Annual Symposium, 1 Nov; Virtual.

Wall, AF. (2019).
Late Quaternary palaeoenvironmental records of tropical Australasia. Poster presented at International Quaternary Association (INQUA) Conference, 29 Jul; Dublin, Ireland.

Wall, AF. (2018).
Late Quaternary palaeoenvironmental records of tropical Australasia. Talk presented at Australasian Quaternary Association (AQUA) Conference, 11 Dec; Canberra, ACT.

Wall, AF. (2015).
Taphonomic lag on land: Snail death assemblages show rapid incorporation of synanthropic communities on San Salvador Island, The Bahamas. Talk presented at Geological Society of America (GSA) 127th Annual Meeting & Exposition, 3 Nov; Baltimore, MD.

Rasmussen, B; Wall, AF. (2015).
A quantitative study of bivalves bioeroded by Cliondidae sponges from San Salvador, Bahamas. Talk presented at Geological Society of America (GSA) 127th Annual Meeting & Exposition, 3 Nov; Baltimore, MD.

Wall, AF. (2015).
Patchy distribution of tree snails of San Salvador, The Bahamas. Talk presented at 9th Annual Ohio (River) Valley Unified Malacologists (OVUM) Meeting, 17 Oct; Pittsburgh, PA.

Wall, AF; Dietl, GP. (2014).
Marginal damage, major consequences: The effects of sublethal damage on the hard clam Mercenaria mercenaria. Talk presented at Geological Society of America (GSA) 125th Anniversary Annual Meeting & Exposition, 27 Oct; Denver, CO.

Wall, AF; Dietl, GP. (2013).
Marginal damage, major consequences: The effects of sublethal damage on the hard clam Mercenaria mercenaria. Talk presented at Geological Society of America (GSA) 125th Anniversary Annual Meeting & Exposition, 27 Oct; Denver, CO.

Competencies

Data Analysis & Programming: R programming, Bayesian modelling, data visualisation, data management
Geospatial & Remote Sensing: ArcGIS, drone operation (RPA certified)
Field & Laboratory Expertise: Field operations, sediment coring, radiocarbon dating, palynology, sedimentology
Outreach & Education: Field courses, lab courses, virtual field trips, school visits, media appearances, curriculum development

Professional Development

Short Courses & Workshops

Indigenous Community Engagement in a Field Setting: Working on Country
Species Distribution Modelling 101
Introduction to Radiocarbon Dating & Bayesian Modelling
Unconscious Bias Training
ARMS Masterclass: Fundamentals of Project Management
Neotoma/Octopus & Pollen Data Analysis

Certifications

Wilderness First Aid
Remote First Aid
Four-Wheel Drive Training (SISODRV001 & RIIVEH305F)
Fundamentals of Deep Learning (NVIDIA)

Service and Leadership

Australasian Quaternary Association, Secretary (2018–2022)
ARC Centre of Excellence for Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH), ECR Representative (2023–2024)
GeoQuEST, Seminar Organiser (2020–2021)

Community & Volunteer Work

The Freedom Hub, Volunteer (2020–Present)
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Volunteer (2017–2018)
Nechama Disaster Response, Volunteer (2016)

Event & Project Management

Cornell University & PRI Darwin Days, Project Manager (2013)
PRI Summer Symposium, Convener (2011, 2012)

Funding, Awards, and Honours

Postdoctoral Fellowship, Australian National University (2022–2024)
CABAH PhD Scholarship, ARC Centre of Excellence for Biodiversity and Heritage (2018–2024)
Geological Society of America Research Grant (2015)
Society for Sedimentary Geology Student Research Grant (2015)
Conchologists of America Academic Grant (2015)
The Paleontological Society Scholarship (2015)
Contributed to successful NSF grant proposals (2011–2014)

Public Outreach and Media

Australian National Botanic Gardens (2024) – Speaker
Costa Georgiadis’ YouTube Channel (2024) – Featured guest on pollen monitoring, ecosystem health. Link
ABC Radio Alice Springs (2024) – Interviewed on VegeMap and pollen trapping.
ABC Radio Canberra (2024) – Interviewed on palynology and environmental history.
ABC News Breakfast (2023) – Discussed VegeMap and citizen science. Link

Updated on 02 March 2025.