Olena Shevchuk
Associated Researcher.
Contact
E-mail: olena.shevchuk@nrm.se
Billing and Mailing Address:
Education
MSc Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine, 1999
PhD Institute of the Geological Sciences of the Nationa Academy of Sciences, Ukraine, 2003
Research Interests
I analyze and correlate the stratigraphy of Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous strata using palynological techniques. I also use these data to establish, refine, and correlate biozones (biostratigraphic units) based on age-diagnostic species of fossil dinocysts, spores and pollen. This helps with dating and correlating strata over wide geographic regions and improves international biostratigraphic zonation schemes for the Mesozoic. By using extensive assemblages of fossil spores and pollen, I am able to use statistical approaches to track variations in the flora and in the landscape that may relate to evolutionary changes in plants or changes in the climate or depositional setting. In particular, the representation of fossil dinoflagellate cysts is useful for detecting changes in the marine influence in sedimentary basins and sea-level changes during the Triassic- Paleogene. To date, this work has concentrated on Mesozoic sequences from Ukraine, but is now expanding to include studies of Mesozoic sedimentary sequences in Sweden and elsewhere.
Many of my scientific publications encompass reconstruction of the paleogeographic conditions and vegetation of the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods in various parts of Ukraine. These works have implications for the exploration and management of strata-hosted resources, such as groundwater and fossil fuels. Apart from biostratigraphic and palaeoenvironmental studies, I also investigate the taxonomy of fossil spores, pollen and dinocysts. This provides information on past plant and algal diversity. Taxonomic studies of continuous palynoassemblages from the Barremian - Maastrichtian succession in Ukraine enabled tracking the evolutionary changes in angiosperms during their initial radiation in the Early-Late Cretaceous.
Funded by the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF); project “Dating of aquifers by novel use of microfossils" with Principal Investigator Dr. Olena Shevchuk.
Other Professional Roles
- Department of Stratigraphy and Paleontology of Mesozoic sediments of the Institution "Institute of Geological Sciences of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine" Position: Leading Researcher
Awards
- 2004-2005 - Scholarship Presidium of NAS of Ukraine
- 2011-2012 - Scholarship of the President of Ukraine