Dr Anieke Brombacher

Postdoctoral Associate in Micropaleontology

Yale Univrsity
210 Whitney Ave, New Haven CT, 06511, USA
anieke.brombacher@yale.edu aniekebrombacher.wordpress.com

Professional experience
Apr 2023 – present Postdoctoral Associate
Yale University (USA)
Plankton extinction and survival through time and space.
Oct 2017 – Oct 2022 Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Micropaleontology
National Oceanography Centre Southampton (UK)
Evolution of developmental plasticity.
May 2019 – July 2019 IODP Expedition 383: foraminifera biostratigrapher
R/V JOIDES Resolution
Neogene planktonic foraminifera biostratigraphy
Nov 2011 – Oct 2012 KNAW (Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences)
Academy Assistant
Utrecht University (NL)

Eduction
Oct 2013 – Oct 2017 PhD “Disentangling synergistic climate drivers in plankton
evolution”
National Oceanography Centre Southampton (UK)
Supervisors: Dr. Thomas Ezard, Prof. Paul Wilson and dr. Ian Bailey
Feb 2011 – May 2013 MSc. Biogeology (cum laude)
Utrecht University (NL) and AWI Bremerhaven (D)
Sep 2007 – Mar 2011 BSc. Mathematical Sciences
Utrecht University

Awards & Grants

Mar 2023 Angelina Messina grant from the Micropalaeontological Society to
attend the IODP Expedition 383 post-cruise meeting (£490)
Jan 2020 Co-proponent on UK-IODP Moratorium Grant following IODP Exp
383. Understanding diachroneity: paleoclimatic controls on the
dispersal of planktonic foraminifera (£50,000)
Dec 2018 Charles Downie Award for best student paper published in 2017.
Awarded by the Micropaleontological Society
Mar 2017 Johanna M. Resig Foraminiferal Research Fellowship awarded by
the Cushman Foundation for Foraminiferal Research ($12,500)
Nov 2016 Student Poster Prize at the UK IODP meeting
Aug 2016 Joseph A. Cushman Award for Student Travel to attend the Geological
Society of America (GSA) meeting in September 2016 ($1162)
Dec 2015 AGU Student Travel Grant to attend Ocean Sciences 2016 ($1000)
Oct 2014 – Oct 2019 5x Student Travel Grants to attend the annual general meeting of The
Micropalaeontological Society in November 2014 (£100)
May 2014 ECORD Summer School Scholarship to attend the Urbino Summer
School in Paleoclimate (€1000)
Publications
Brombacher, A., Poole, C.R., Ezard, T.H.G., Wade, B.S. Role of heterochrony in the planktonic
foraminifera Trilobatus sacculifer plexus. In review at Paleobiology.
Brombacher, A., Wilson, P.A., Bailey, I., Ezard, T.H.G., 2023. Morphological variation across space
does not predict phenotypic change through time in two Neogene planktonic
foraminifera species. Frontiers in Ecology & Evolution, 11, p1-10,
doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2023.1165174.
Brombacher, A., Searle-Barnes, A., Zhang, W., Ezard, Thomas H.G., 2022. Analysing planktonic
foraminifera growth in three dimensions: an R package for automated trait measurements
from CT scans. Journal of Foraminiferal Research, 41, p149-164,
Morard, R., Weinkauf, M.F.G., Brombacher, A., Fenton, I., Fehrenbacher, J., Rillo, M.C, 2022.
Protists as model ecological and evolutionary study systems: emerging methodologies of
the 21st century. Frontiers in Marine Science, 9:1014238, p1-2. (not peer-reviewed)
Brombacher, A., Schmidt, D.N., Ezard, T.H.G., 2022. Developmental plasticity in deep time: a
window to population ecological inference. Paleobiology, p1-12,
Brombacher, A., Wilson, P.A., Bailey, I., Ezard, T.H.G., 2021. The Dynamics of diachronous
extinction associated with climatic deterioration near the Neogene/Quaternary boundary.
Paleoceanography & Paleoclimatology, 36, e2020PA004205.
Lamy, F., Winckler, G., Alvarez Zarikian, C.A., Arz, H.W., Basak, C., Brombacher, A., … 25 co-
authors, 2021. Proceedings of the International Ocean Discovery Program – Volume 383:
Dynamics of the Pacific Antarctic Circumpolar Current.
Kirby, N., Bailey, I., Lang, D.C., Brombacher, A., Chalk, T.B., Crocker, A.C., Taylor, V.E., Milton, J.A.,
Foster, G.L., Raymo, M.E., Kroon, D., Bell, D.B., Wilson, P.A., 2020. On climate and abyssal
circulation in the Atlantic Ocean during Pliocene marine isotope stage M2, ~3.3 millions of
year ago. Quaternary Science Reviews 250, 106644.
Zhang, W., Ezard, T.H.G., Searle-Barnes, A., Brombacher, A., Katsamenis, O., Nixon, M., 2020.
Towards understanding speciation by automated extraction and description of 3D
foraminifera stacks. Proceedings of the IEEE Southwest Symposium on Image Analysis and
Interpretation 2020, p. 30-33.
Hsiang, A.Y., Brombacher, A., Rillo, M.C., Mleneck-Vautravers, M.J., Conn, S., Lordsmith,S., Jentzen,
A., Henehan, M.J., Metcalfe, B., Fenton, I., Wade, B., Fox, L., Meilland, J., Davis, C.V.,
Baranowski, U., Groeneveld, J., Edgar, K.M., Movellan, A., Aze, T., Dowsett, H., Miller, G., Rios,
N., Hull, P.M., 2019. Endless Forams: >34,000 modern planktonic foraminiferal images for
taxonomic training and automated species recognition using convolutional neural
networks. Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology. 10.1029/2019PA003612
Brombacher, A., Wilson, P.A., Bailey, I., Ezard, T.H.G., 2018. Temperature is a poor proxy for
synergistic climate forcing of plankton evolution. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 285,
1883, 20180665.
Brombacher, A., Elder, L., Hull, P.M., Wilson, P.A., I., Ezard, T.H.G., 2018. Calibration of test
diameter and area as proxies for body size in the planktonic foraminifer Globoconella
puncticulata. Journal of Foraminiferal Research 48, 3, p241-245.
Brombacher, A., Wilson, P.A., Bailey, I., Ezard, T.H.G., 2017. The breakdown of allometry during
climatic upheaval. American Naturalist 190, 3, p350-362.
Brombacher, A., Wilson, P.A., Ezard, T.H.G., 2017. Calibration of the repeatability of foraminiferal
test size and shape measures with recommendations for future use. Marine
Micropaleontology 133, p21-27.
De Nooijer, L.J., Brombacher, A., Mewes, A., Langer, G., Nehrke, G., Bijma, J., Reichart, G.J., 2017.
Barium incorporation in benthic foraminifera. Biogeosciences 14, p3387-3400.

Software
Brombacher, A., Searle-Barnes, A., Zhang, W., Ezard, Thomas H.G., 2022. ‘foram3D’: an R package
for automated three-dimensional trait measurements. The package is available on my github
page. A beginner-friendly example R script can be found here.
Leadership and Management
Aug 2022 Session convener for the Challenger150 conference (UK)
Aug 2021 Conference organiser for the Micropaleontological Society
Foraminifera Festival (online)
Jun 2021 PhD defence examiner: assessing a PhD thesis and chairing the
defence committee (University of Southampton, UK)
Dec 2020 – Jun 2022 Guest editor of Frontiers in Marine Sciences special issue ‘Protists
as model ecological and evolutionary study systems: emerging
methodologies of the 21st century’
Nov 2020 – present Member of working group ‘Paleosynthesis: Big Questions in
Paleontology’
Oct 2020 Session convener for the Geological Society of America annual meeting
Jan 2020 Calcareous Microfossil representative at the IODP Expedition 383
Editorial Meeting
Dec 2019 – Nov 2022 Events Secretary of the Micropalaeontological Society
Feb 2019 – present Chapter lead for the Neogene Planktonic Foraminifera Atlas
Jan 2017 – present Reviewer for Methods in Ecology & Evolution, Proceedings of the Royal
Society B, Paleoceanography & Paleoclimatology, Quaternary
International, Applied Computing & Geosciences, Marine
Micropaleontology, Paleobiology, Scientific Reports, Journal of
Foraminiferal Research
Oct 2014 –Dec 2020 Departmental seminar series and paper discussion group organiser

Invited talks
Autumn 2023 Departmental seminar at the University of Austin Texas
Jun 2023 Micropalaeontological Society-Cushman Foundation online seminar
series
Nov 2022 Departmental seminar at the University of Portsmouth, School of
Environment, Geography and Geosciences
Nov 2022 Invited seminar for the PalaeoPERCS online seminar series
Feb 2018 Plenary talk at the University of Leeds, Earth Surface Science annual
meeting
Jul 2017 Student Plenary at the British Ecological Society Macroecology
meeting
Feb 2016 Yale University, Paleoclimate Research Group seminar

Field experience
2020-2023 Mudflat sediment sampling for benthic faunal analyses (Southampton,
UK)
May – Jul 2019 Planktonic foraminifera biostratigrapher on board the JOIDES
Resolution for IODP Expedition 383 to the Antarctic Circumpolar
Current.
Apr 2013 1-week Marine Research Techniques course on board the R/V
Heincke, including plankton tows, CTD measurements and sediment
sampling.
Aug 2011 2-week fossil excavation in the Winterswijk (NL) stone quarry led by
Dutch and German Natural History Museums, targeting Triassic
nothosaurs.
Jun 2011 MSc Independent Geology Fieldword: 4-week field course in the
Sorbas Basin, Spain sampling marls and limestone for biostratigraphy
and cyclostratigraphy.
Supervision
July 2023 Supervisor of two high school student interns at the Yale Peabody
Museum
Oct 2021 – present Supervisor of PhD student James Mulqueeney: ‘How do species
emerge?’
Oct 2020 – Jun 2022 Supervisor of MSc student Marisa Sweeney: ‘Developmental plasticity
in the planktonic foraminifer genus Menardella’
Aug 2020 – Mar 2022 Supervisor of two Research Assistants processing samples for the
Exp383 Moratorium Grant
Oct 2019 – present Supervisor of PhD student Chloe Todd: ‘Do incumbency
advantages buffer against climate-driven extinction threats?
Oct 2019 – Jun 2020 Co-supervisor on MSc project of Ellie Pryor: ‘Plio-Pleistocene coupling
of the North African hydroclimate and Subtropical North Atlantic’
Oct 2017 – Jun 2018 Co-supervisor on MSc project of Aidan Starr: ‘Vertical habitat changes
preceding extinction in the North Atlantic planktic foraminifera
Globoconella puncticulata’
Oct 2015 – Jun 2016 Co-supervisor on MSc project of Stephanie Wells: ‘Climatic impacts on
the microevolution of planktonic foraminifera’

Teaching
Nov 2022 Evolutionary applications of microfossils: guest lectures at the
University of Portsmouth (UK) 3rd-year undergraduate module
Microfossils
Oct 2019 – Jun 2021 Supervising 3rd-year undergraduate group projects studying
planktonic foraminifera ontogeny and evolution from micro-CT scans
Oct 2017 – Feb 2022 3rd-year module Microfossils (University of Southampton)
 Evolutionary applications of microfossils
 Paleoclimate reconstructions
 Taxonomy
 Biostratigraphy
Oct 2017 – Feb 2022 Setting topics for 4th-year module Contemporary Topics and marking
essays and presentations

Courses and workshops

Nov 2022 Neogene Planktonic Foraminifera atlas revision
Feb 2022 Analytical Paleobiology in R – Physalia Courses
Sep 2018 MagellanPlus workshop: Navigating the IODP proposal system
Nov 2015 NHM Short Course in Taxonomy and Biostratigraphy of Cenozoic
Planktonic Foraminifera
Sep 2015 SCOR/IGBP WG 138 Final Workshop and Short Course on Culturing of
Planktonic Foraminifera
Jun 2015 FAPESP/UoS workshop: Identifying the regulators of biodiversity in
deep time
Mar 2015 ECORD Training Course 2015: Virtual Drillship Experience
Jul 2014 Urbino Summer School in Paleoclimate
Awarded an ECORD Summer School scholarship
Outreach activities
Science blogs
Blogs on personal website about topics in Biology, Earth Science and Mathematics, and the
intersections between these fields
Outreach activities during International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 383
 Participation in weekly live broadcasts to schools, universities and museums about life
on board a scientific drilling ship.
 Regular blog posts about the science of Expedition 383 in English and Dutch
 Development of new classroom activity ‘Finding Fossils’ to show how we determine the
age of deep see sediments to secondary school students.
Public lecture for the National Oceanography Centre public seminar series
‘Evolution, climate and fossils: what plankton can tell us (that dinosaurs can’t)’
Secondary school career fairs
Talking to final-year students about careers in Biology and Earth Sciences

Conference presentations
Jun 2023 Brombacher, A., Searle-Barnes, Zhang, W., Ezard, T.H.G. When in
ontogeny do species difference emerge? A case study of a fossil
planktonic foraminifera lineage. FORAMS 2023 (talk)
Jun 2023 Brombacher, A., Butts, S., Cheng, E., Hull, C. Digitizing the CLIMAP
foraminifera assemblage collection. FORAMS 2023 (poster)
Nov 2022 Brombacher, A., Searle-Barnes, Zhang, W., Ezard, T.H.G. When in
ontogeny do species difference emerge? A case study of a fossil
planktonic foraminifera lineage. The Micropalaeontological Society
Annual Meeting (talk)
Oct 2022 Brombacher, A., Searle-Barnes, Zhang, W., Ezard, T.H.G. When in
ontogeny do species difference emerge? A case study of a fossil
planktonic foraminifera lineage. Geological Society of America Annual
Conference (talk)
Aug 2021 Brombacher, A., Searle-Barnes, A., Sweeney, M., Zhang, W., Shetta,
O., Ezard, T.H.G. 3Dforam: an R package to analyse shell growth in
three dimensions. The Micropalaeontological Society Foram Festival
(talk)
Dec 2020 Brombacher, A., Ezard, T.H.G., Wilson, P.A., Expedition 383 scientists.
Understanding diachroneity: assemblage fluctuations in high-latitude
Pliocene planktonic foraminifera. AGU (poster)
Nov 2020 Brombacher, A., Zhang, W., Searle-Barnes, A., Nixon, M., Katsamenis,
O., Sinclair, I., Wilson, P.A., Ezard, T.H.G. Does developmental plasticity
influence speciation? Using high-res CT scanning to quantify
ontogenetic trajectories in foraminifera. TMS Annual Conference (talk)
Oct 2020 Brombacher, A., Zhang, W., Searle-Barnes, A., Nixon, M., Katsamenis,
O., Sinclair, I., Wilson, P.A., Ezard, T.H.G. Does developmental plasticity
influence speciation? Using high-res CT scanning to quantify
ontogenetic trajectories in foraminifera. GSA (talk)
Oct 2020 Brombacher, A., Ezard, T.H.G., Wilson, P.A., Expedition 383 scientists.
Understanding diachroneity: assemblage fluctuations in high-latitude
Pliocene planktonic foraminifera. GSA (poster)
Aug 2020 Saavedra, M. & Brombacher, A. and Expedition 383 scientists.
Preliminary biostratigraphy of IODP Expedition 383 sites. UK-IODP
(poster)
Nov 2019 Brombacher, A., Zhang, W., Searle-Barnes, A., Nixon, M., Katsamenis,
O., Sinclair, I., Wilson, P.A., Ezard, T.H.G. Does developmental plasticity
 influence speciation? Using high-res CT scanning to quantify
ontogenetic trajectories in foraminifera. TMS AGM (poster)
Sep 2019 Brombacher, A., Zhang, W., Searle-Barnes, A., Nixon, M., Katsamenis,
O., Sinclair, I., Wilson, P.A., Ezard, T.H.G. Does developmental plasticity
influence speciation? Using high-res CT scanning to quantify
ontogenetic trajectories in foraminifera. ICP (poster)
Nov 2018 Brombacher, A., Wilson, P.A., Bailey, I., Ezard, T.H.G., Environmental
and within-species controls on the morphology of two planktonic
foraminifera species. TMS AGM (talk)
Nov 2018 Brombacher, A., Zhang, W., Searle-Barnes, A., Nixon, M., Katsamenis,
O., Sinclair, I., Wilson, P.A., Ezard, T.H.G. Does developmental plasticity
influence speciation? Using high-res CT scanning to quantify
ontogenetic trajectories in foraminifera. TMS AGM 2018 (poster)
Nov 2018 Brombacher, A., Zhang, W., Searle-Barnes, A., Nixon, M., Katsamenis,
O., Sinclair, I., Wilson, P.A., Ezard, T.H.G. Does developmental plasticity
influence speciation? Using high-res CT scanning to quantify
ontogenetic trajectories in foraminifera. GSA 2018 (talk)
Nov 2018 Brombacher, A., Edgar, K.M., Wilson, P.A., Ezard, T.H.G., Using
statistical clustering techniques to determine the first occurrence of
the planktonic foraminifer Orbulinoides beckmanni and the base of
planktonic foraminiferal biozone E12. GSA 2018 (poster)
Sep 2018 Brombacher, A., Edgar, K.M., Wilson, P.A., Ezard, T.H.G., Evolutionary
response to climate change varies through time in the planktonic
foraminifer Orbulinoides beckmanni. UK-IODP – Celebrating 50 years of
ocean drilling (poster).
Jun 2018 Brombacher, A., Edgar, K.M., Wilson, P.A., Ezard, T.H.G., Evolutionary
response to climate change from origination to extinction in a
planktonic foraminifera lineage. FORAMS2018 (talk)
Feb 2018 Brombacher, A., Wilson, P.A., Bailey, I., Ezard, T.H.G., Variation across
space does not predict evolutionary change through time. ESSI
Paleontology day at the University of Leeds (invited talk)
Nov 2017 Brombacher, A., Edgar, K.M., Wilson, P.A., Ezard, T.H.G., Evolutionary
response of the planktic foraminifer Orbulinoides beckmanni to
climatic change during the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO).
The Micropalaeontological Society Annual General Meeting 2017 (talk)
Oct 2017 Brombacher, A., Wilson, P.A., Bailey, I., Ezard, T.H.G., Variation across
space does not predict evolutionary change through time. GSA 2017
(talk)
Oct 2017 Brombacher, A., Edgar, K.M., Wilson, P.A., Ezard, T.H.G., Evolutionary
response of the planktic foraminifer Orbulinoides beckmanni to
climatic change during the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO).
GSA 2017 (poster)
Sep 2017 Brombacher, A., Edgar, K.M., Wilson, P.A., Ezard, T.H.G., Evolutionary
response of the planktic foraminifer Orbulinoides beckmanni to
climatic change during the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO).
Climatic and Biotic Events of the Paleogene 2017 (talk)
Jul 2017 Brombacher, A., Wilson, P.A., Bailey, I., Ezard, T.H.G., Variation across
space does not predict evolutionary change through time. The British
Ecological Society Macroecology Meeting 2017 (Invited plenary talk)
Jun 2017 Brombacher, A., Edgar, K.M., Wilson, P.A., Ezard, T.H.G., Evolutionary
response of the planktic foraminifer Orbulinoides beckmanni to
climatic change during the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO).
The Micropaleontological Society foraminifera and nannofossil Spring
Meeting 2017 (poster)
Nov 2016 Brombacher, A., Wilson, P.A., Bailey, I., Ezard, T.H.G., Climate-driven
geographic range shifts in the planktonic foraminifer Globoconella
puncticulata. British Ecological Society meeting 2016 (talk)
Nov 2016 Brombacher, A., Wilson, P.A., Bailey, I., Ezard, T.H.G., Biogeographic
range shifts in three species of planktonic foraminifera during the
intensification of Northern Hemisphere Glaciation. The
Micropaleontological Society Annual General Meeting 2016 (talk)
Nov 2016 Brombacher, A., Wilson, P.A., Bailey, I., Ezard, T.H.G., Climate-driven
geographic range shifts in the planktonic foraminifer Globoconella
puncticulata. UK IODP meeting 2016 (poster, awarded a Student Poster
Prize)
Aug 2016 Brombacher, A., Wilson, P.A., Bailey, I., Ezard, T.H.G., Multivariate
climate change driving the evolution of two species of planktonic
foraminifera during the intensification of Northern Hemisphere
glaciation. 12th International Conference on Paleoceanography 2016
(poster)
Sep 2016 Brombacher, A., Wilson, P.A., Bailey, I., Ezard, T.H.G., Geographic
range shifts in two species of planktonic foraminifera during the
intensification of Northern Hemisphere glaciation. GSA 2016 (talk)
Jun 2016 Brombacher, A., Wilson, P.A., Bailey, I., Ezard, T.H.G., Geographic
range shifts in two species of planktonic foraminifera during the
intensification of Northern Hemisphere glaciation. The
Micropaleontological Society foraminifera and nannofossil Spring
Meeting 2016 (talk)
Jun 2016 Brombacher, A., Wilson, P.A., Bailey, I., Ezard, T.H.G., Synergistic
climate drivers on the evolution of a planktic foraminifera species. The
Micropaleontological Society foraminifera and nannofossil Spring
Meeting 2016 (poster)
Feb 2016 Brombacher, A., Wilson, P.A., Bailey, I., Ezard, T.H.G., Synergistic
climate drivers on the evolution of planktonic foraminifera on regional
and global scales. Ocean Sciences Meeting 2016 (talk)
Feb 2016 Brombacher, A., Wilson, P.A., Bailey, I., Ezard, T.H.G., Regional
microevolutionary change preceding extinction in the planktic
foraminifer Globoconella puncticulata. Ocean Sciences Meeting 2016
(poster)
Nov 2015 Brombacher, A., Wilson, P.A., Ezard, T.H.G., Disentangling synergistic
climate drivers on the evolution of planktonic foraminifera. The
Micropalaeontological Society Annual General Meeting 2015 (talk)
Nov 2015 Brombacher, A., Wilson, P.A., Ezard, T.H.G., Don’t measure Roundness
(unless your foram is already round). The Micropalaeontological
Society Annual General Meeting 2015 (poster)
Nov 2015 Brombacher, A., Wilson, P.A., Bailey, I., Ezard, T.H.G., Disentangling
synergistic climate drivers on the anagenetic evolution of planktonic
foraminifera. GSA 2015 (talk)
Sep 2015 Brombacher, A., Wilson, P.A., Bailey, I., Ezard, T.H.G., Disentangling
synergistic climate drivers on the evolution and extinction of
planktonic foraminifera. SCOR/IGBP WG 138 Final Workshop and Short
Course on Culturing of Planktonic Foraminifera (talk)
Jun 2015 Brombacher, A., Wilson, P.A., Bailey, I., Ezard, T.H.G., Environmental
and within-species controls on the morphology of the planktonic
foraminifer Globoconella puncticulata. Evolution 2015 (talk)
Nov 2014 Brombacher, A., Wilson, P.A., Bailey, I., Ezard, T.H.G., Biotic and
abiotic controls on the extinction of Globoconella puncticulata. The
Micropaleontological Society Annual Meeting 2014 (talk)
Nov 2014 Brombacher, A., Wilson, P.A., Bailey, I., Ezard, T.H.G., Disentangling
synergistic climate drivers on the extinction of the planktonic
foraminifer Globoconella puncticulata. Coevolution of Life and the
Planet meeting 2014 (poster)
Jun 2013 Brombacher, A., Funcke, A., De Nooijer, L.J., Bijma, J., Reichart, G.-J.,
Barium partitioning in benthic foraminifera. The Micropaleontological
Society Foraminifera and Nannofossil Groups Joint Spring Meeting 2013
(talk & poster)