Vivi Vajda is a Swedish

palaeontologist Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...

. She is

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...

and head of

palaeobiology Paleobiology (or palaeobiology) is an interdisciplinary field that combines the methods and findings found in both the earth sciences and the life sciences. Paleobiology is not to be confused with geobiology, which focuses more on the interactio ...

at the Swedish Museum of Natural History. Through the study of microscopic fossils such as

pollen Pollen is a powdery substance produced by seed plants. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm cells). Pollen grains have a hard coat made of sporopollenin that protects the gametophyt ...

plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms found in Hydrosphere, water (or atmosphere, air) that are unable to propel themselves against a Ocean current, current (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are called plankt ...

algae Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...

, and

fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from ...

, Vajda's research focuses on past vegetation changes,

plant communities A plant community is a collection or association of plant species within a designated geographical unit, which forms a relatively uniform patch, distinguishable from neighboring patches of different vegetation types. The components of each plant ...

, and

mass extinctions An extinction event (also known as a mass extinction or biotic crisis) is a widespread and rapid decrease in the biodiversity on Earth. Such an event is identified by a sharp change in the diversity and abundance of multicellular organisms. It ...

. She has also contributed to the understanding of the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction. She is a member of the

Royal Physiographic Society in Lund The Royal Physiographic Society in Lund ( sv, Kungliga Fysiografiska Sällskapet i Lund), is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden. It was founded in Lund, on December 2, 1772, and received a Royal Charter by Gustav III, on March 6, 1778.

Life and work

Vajda earned her BSc at Lund University, Sweden in 1989 and stayed there to obtain her PhD in 1998. She was a professor at

Lund University , motto = Ad utrumque , mottoeng = Prepared for both , established = , type = Public research university , budget = SEK 9 billion principal investigator In many countries, the term principal investigator (PI) refers to the holder of an independent grant and the lead researcher for the grant project, usually in the sciences, such as a laboratory study or a clinical trial. The phrase is also often us ...

of two research projects.

Accolades

* Årets geolog (Geologist of the Year) awarded by Naturvetarna on 2010.

Professional roles

* Chair of the Swedish National Committee for Geology, 2012–Present * Chair of the International Geoscience Program, 2009-2012 * Chair of the Geological Society of Sweden, 2010-2012 * Chair of the Swedish IGCP Committee, 2006-2012 * Swedish representative of the European Federation of Geologists (EFG), HQ Brussels, 2006-2008 * Elected member of the Royal Physiographical Society in Lund, 2012 * Vice coordinator of the Centre of Excellence, the Linnaeus Centre LUCCI, 2009-2013 * Coordinator of the Linnaeus Centre LUCCI and Workpackage leader, 2014-2015 * Secretary of the Geological Society of Sweden, 2008-2009

Selected publications

* Schulte et al., 2010. The Chicxulub Asteroid Impact and Mass Extinction at the Cretaceous-Paleogene Boundary. ''Science'' 327:5970 1214-1218. * Vajda, V., Raine, J. I., Hollis, C. J., 2001. Indication of Global Deforestation at the Cretaceous-Tertiary Boundary by New Zealand Fern Spike. ''Science'' 294:5547 1700-1702. * Vajda, V., McLoughlin, S., 2004. Fungal proliferation at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary. ''Science'' 303:5663 1489. * Vajda, V., Bercovici, A., 2014. The global vegetation pattern across the Cretaceous–Paleogene mass extinction interval: A template for other extinction events. ''Global and Planetary Change'' 122 29-49.

References

Employees of the Swedish Museum of Natural History 21st-century Swedish geologists Swedish paleontologists Living people Lund University alumni Academic staff of Lund University Members of the Royal Physiographic Society in Lund Swedish women geologists Swedish women academics 1964 births {{Sweden-scientist-stub