Palaeontologist Dr Elsa Panciroli studies the evolution and ecology of extinct animals from the Mesozoic era, particularly the first mammals and their relatives. She is a research fellow at the University of Oxford, though she mainly works with fossils from the Isle of Skye, where she is a leading member in ongoing field research. Her writing has appeared in The Guardian, and she is a graduate of the BBC’s Expert Woman training programme, and frequently contributes to radio and podcast programmes, such as Crowdscience, The John Beatty Show and Our Lives.