Gaël Spicher
SNSF PhD student
JURASSICA Museum
Route de Fontenais 21
2900 Porrentruy
Switzerland
gael.spicher[at]jurassica.ch
and
Department of Geosciences
University of Fribourg
Chemin du musée 6
1700 Fribourg
Switzerland
I primarily work on fossil turtles as well as ichthyosaurs, while maintaining a strong general interest in marine reptiles. I obtained a Bachelor's degree in Earth Sciences from the University of Fribourg in 2022, followed by a Master's degree in Paleontology at the Rheinische Friedrichs-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn in Germany in 2024. Currently a PhD candidate at the JURASSICA Museum and the University of Fribourg, I contribute to the project A multi-proxy approach for understanding the diversity and paleoecology of the first marine turtles (Thalassochelydia), funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation. In addition to my research, I am involved in various scientific and outreach activities at the JURASSICA Museum.
Research thematics
- Taxonomy, systematics, morphological evolution, and paleoecology of Late Jurassic marine turtles
- Evolution of European ichthyosaurs during the Early Jurassic
- Evolution of Baenidae, a group of North American freshwater turtles from the Cretaceous and Cenozoic
Keywords
3D Segmentation and Modeling, Phylogeny, Comparative Anatomy, Multispectral imagery, Morphological Evolution, Taxonomy, Paleoecology, Testudinata, IchthyosauriaPublications
Academic background
| 2022–2024 | Master in Paleontology, Rheinische Friedrichs-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Germany |
| 2019–2022 | Bachelor in Earth Sciences with a minor in Biology, University of Fribourg, Switzerland (Bilingual degree in French/German) |
Fieldwork
| 2025 | Canjuers (Late Jurassic), Var, France (2 weeks) |
| 2023 | Bonenburg (Late Triassic), North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany (2 weeks) |
| 2022 |
Chevenez Quarry (Late Jurassic), Switzerland (2 weeks) [Dr. Jérémy Anquetin, Jurassica Museum]
|
Awards
| 2023 | Thürler-Reeb Grant awarded by the Faculty of Science and Medicine of the University of Fribourg (Switzerland) for the publication describing a new specimen of the turtle Denazinemys nodosa (see scientific publications) |
Other experiences
| 2024 | Participation in the exhibition 100 + 100, 200 ans d’histoire en 100 duos inédits (17.05.2024 – 09.02.2025) at the Natural History Museum of Fribourg, celebrating its 200th anniversary, as well as in the accompanying book (100 + 100): Contribution to the presentation of the most complete ichthyosaur fossil from the canton of Fribourg |
| 2023 | Writing science communication articles on paleontology of Switzerland and the canton of Fribourg for the newspaper Freiburger Nachrichten (see science communication publications) |
| 2021 | Research internship in paleontology on the Paleocene fauna of Cernay-les-Reims (France) at the Natural History Museum of Basel, Switzerland |
| 2021 | Fossil preparation course at the Sauriermuseum Aathal, Switzerland |
| 2018 | Fossil preparation course at the Sauriermuseum Aathal, Switzerland |
| 2017 | Fossil preparation course at the Sauriermuseum Aathal, Switzerland |
Associations
| 2022 | Member of the Swiss Paleontological Society and the Swiss Geological Society |
| 2022 | Member of the Paläontologische Gesellschaft (German Paleontological Society) |
Science communication publications
Spicher, G. E. (10 mai 2023). Die grösste Fossilfundstelle der Schweiz. Freiburger Nachrichten (108), 8.
Spicher, G. E. (12 avril 2023). Der Schweizer Jurassic Park. Freiburger Nachrichten (84), 8.
Spicher, G. E. (8 mars 2023). Von Terrorvögeln und Minipferden. Freiburger Nachrichten (56), 10.
Spicher, G. E. (8 février 2023). Eine Molasse voller fossiler Schätze. Freiburger Nachrichten (32), 8.
Spicher, G. E. (11 janvier 2023). Mammuts und Höhlenbären sind Zeugen der Eiszeiten in der Schweiz und Europa. Freiburger Nachrichten (8), 8.