Prof. Michael Pittman SFHEA – Principal Investigator
I’m a multi-disciplinary, integrative dinosaur palaeobiologist at the School of Life Sciences of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Previously I was a Research Assistant Professor and Assistant Dean (e-Learning) at The University of Hong Kong. I earned a BSc in Geology from UCL in 2006 before progressing to an MSc in Geoscience (Palaeobiology) in 2007. I pursued a PhD on ‘The evolution and biomechanics of dinosaurian tails’ with Profs. Paul Upchurch (UCL) and John R Hutchinson FRS (RVC) completing in 2012.
My primary research interests are the biology and evolution of dinosaurs, particularly the exciting dinosaur-bird transition, and the evolution of animal flight. I support my work with integrated study approaches involving modern anatomical imaging, chemical analysis, biomechanical modelling, developmental biology and phylogenetic reconstruction. Laser-Stimulated Fluorescence (LSF) is a laser-based imaging technique that I co-develop and apply to reveal otherwise hidden details in palaeobiological, archaeological and polar contexts.
I have produced 85+ peer-reviewed publications, including the edited volume Pennaraptoran Theropod Dinosaurs: Past Progress and New Frontiers, and achieved ~2500 citations and a h-index score of 28. I have published research in high-impact journals such as PNAS (4), Nature Communications (3), Nature Ecology & Evolution (2), Systematic Biology, Biological Reviews (3), Science Bulletin, Current Biology (2) and eLife (3). My work has attracted international media interest, including from CNN, BBC and National Geographic and the documentary Walking with Dinosaurs. I am the recipient of the CUHK Science Faculty Young Researcher Award 2024 for ‘remarkable research with impressive accomplishment’.
I support my work through active collaborations with leading experts across all continents. These include Chinese Academician Prof. Xu Xing (IVPP, Beijing), Prof. Xiaoli Wang (Linyi University, Linyi), Prof. Xiaoting Zheng (Tianyu Museum, Pingyi) and Prof. Diego Pol (Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, Argentina). My fieldwork in the Gobi Desert and in Patagonia led to the discovery of the dromaeosaurid Linheraptor, the alvarezsaurid Linhenykus and the abelisaurid Koleken.
I have a strong teaching background recognised by both an HE Advance Fellowship (FHEA) and Senior Fellowship (SFHEA). This draws on experience teaching high-quality undergraduate to PhD level courses and the award-winning MOOC Dinosaur Ecosystems as well as leadership and management experience in past roles such as Assistant Dean for E-Learning.
Email: mpittman@cuhk.edu.hk
Telephone: (+852) 5625 5019
Location: Room 503-503C (office) and Room 507D (lab), Mong Man Wai Building (MMW), School of Life Sciences, CUHK
Web: ResearchGate/Google Scholar/ORCiD/Twitter – @Palaeopittman/Dinosaur Ecosystems MOOC
Dr. Csaba Hefler – Postdoctoral Researcher
Dr. Csaba Hefler received his PhD on aerodynamics from Hong Kong University of Science & Technology (HKUST). He completed his first postdoc at HKUST and co-authored the seminal book Distinct Aerodynamics of Insect-Scale Flight (Cambridge University Press). Csaba is a passionate wilderness explorer and photographer. Csaba is currently investigating flight performance in feathered dinosaurs and early dragonflies as well as their applications to modern engineering. His computer simulation study of gliding in the four-winged dinosaur Microraptor was published in the prestigious journal PNAS (Hefler et al. 2026). Csaba will be presenting his latest work at the 7th International Palaeontological Congress in Cape Town, South Africa in November 2026.
Email: csabahefler@cuhk.edu.hk
Location: MMW 507D, CUHK
Web: ResearchGate / Google Scholar
Dr. Natalia Jagielska – Postdoctoral Researcher
Dr. Natalia Jagielska received her PhD on the evolutionary transitions of Middle Jurassic pterosaurs from the University of Edinburgh (UK). She continues her pterosaur research as a Postdoctoral Researcher focussing on soft tissues and what they tell us about flight and integument evolution. This work has involved visits to over 10 museums in China and Germany (including the National Natural History Museum of China and the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin) and has been presented at several conferences including the 2025 Annual Meeting of Willi Hennig Meeting in Hong Kong. Natalia is a talented palaeoartist garnering art awards during her time at CUHK. She also designed the lab’s logo. She was previously the Collections Curator and Engagement Officer at the Lyme Regis Museum which involved organising the Lyme Regis Fossil Festival, the largest palaeontological event in Britain.
Email: nataliajagielska@cuhk.edu.hk
Location: MMW 507D, CUHK
Web: ResearchGate / Google Scholar
Dr. Matthieu Chotard – Upcoming Postdoctoral Researcher & Former PhD Student
Matthieu received his Geology BSc from the University of Angers and his MSc in Paleontology, Heritage and Paleoenvironment from the universities of Angers and Rennes 1. He was a Research Assistant in our lab before he completed his PhD with us on the hind limb and tail feathering of birds and their fossil relatives. His studies included trips to the USA, Argentina and mainland China for data collection, conference presentations and fieldwork. He has published three papers on Microraptor, including a first-author paper on its hind limb feathering as part of a special collection of BMC Ecology and Evolution on vertebrate flight evolution. His postdoctoral research will extend his thesis work.
Email: matthieuchotard@link.cuhk.edu.hk
Location: MMW 503C, CUHK
Web: ResearchGate / Twitter
Dr. Maxime Grosmougin – Upcoming Postdoctoral Researcher & Former PhD Student
Maxime received his Geosciences BSc from the University of Burgundy before moving to Sorbonne University and the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle of Paris for his MSc in Systematics, Evolution and Palaeontology. He was a Research Assistant in our lab before completing his PhD with us on the wing shapes of modern birds and their fossil kin. He has published three papers on Microraptor, including a first-author paper on its forelimb feathering as part of a special collection of BMC Ecology and Evolution on vertebrate flight evolution. His studies included trips to the USA, Argentina and mainland China for data collection, conference presentations and fieldwork. Maxime will present his latest work at the 7th International Palaeontological Congress in Cape Town, South Africa in November 2026.
Email: maxime.grosmougin@link.cuhk.edu.hk
Location: MMW 503C, CUHK
Web: ResearchGate / Twitter / LinkedIn
Mr. Zack Or (Sik Cheung) – PhD Student
Zack received his MSci in Palaeontology and Evolution from the University of Bristol completing a research project on mass estimation of the giant flightless bird Gastornis. He was previously a volunteer in the lab. Zack is researching the structure and function of the pterosaur wing. He will attend the 10th International Pterosaur Conference in Hami, China in September 2026.
Email: orzacksikcheung@gmail.com
Location: MMW 507D, CUHK
Mr. Jiarui Xu (Andy) – PhD Student
Ms. Alexandra McCombie – PhD Student
Alex received her MEarthSci Geology from the School of GeoSciences of The University of Edinburgh completing her dissertation under the supervision of Prof. Stephen L. Brusatte. She received the Thomas Basins Studies Award for her best performance in Palaeontology, Sedimentology and Petroleum Systems courses. Alex is currently researching flight evolution in non-avialan theropods. She presented her research at the Progressive Palaeontology Meeting of the Palaeontological Association in London.
Email: alexandra.mccombie@link.cuhk.edu.hk
Location: MMW 507D, CUHK
Web: ResearchGate
Mr. Kacper Węgrzyn – PhD Student
Kacper received his Biology BSc from Warsaw University of Life Sciences (Poland). Kacper is researching Cretaceous lizards and has published on the iconic African viperid snake Atheris. He has visited extant and fossil collections in Poland and mainland China as part of his research work. Kacper presented his research at the 2026 European Association of Vertebrate Palaeontology (EAVP) Annual Meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Email: kacper.wegrzyn@link.cuhk.edu.hk
Location: MMW 507D, CUHK
Web: ResearchGate
Ms. Yui Chi Fan (Audrey) – PhD Student
Yui Chi (Audrey) received her Biology BSc from the School of Life Sciences of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. She was previously a volunteer in our lab. Audrey is researching the wings of early fossil birds and feathered dinosaurs in collaborator with co-supervisor Prof. Michael B. Habib (UCLA, USA). Her review of diet in troodontid dinosaurs was published in Biological Reviews (Fan et al. 2026). She will present her research at the 2026 Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) Annual Meeting in Cleveland, USA this November.
Email: audrey.fan@link.cuhk.edu.hk
Location: MMW 503C, CUHK
Web: ResearchGate
Current Lab Volunteers
Kitty Tam (UG; HKU, China)
Select Current Collaborators
We collaborate with a range of leading international experts from different fields. Here is a selection of current project collaborators (full list of collaborations in publication list):
Thomas G. Kaye (Foundation for Scientific Advancement, Arizona, USA; Laser-Stimulated Fluorescence (LSF) imaging; chemical analysis; actuopalaeontological experiments.
Prof. Xiaoli Wang (Linyi University, China) – feathered dinosaurs and flight origins; with Prof. Xiaoteng Zheng (below).
Prof. Xiaoting Zheng (Director of Shandong Tianyu Museum, China) – feathered dinosaurs and flight origins; with Prof. Xiaoli Wang (above).
Academician Prof. Xing Xu (IVPP & Yunnan University, China) – feathered dinosaurs and flight origins; fieldwork in China; instructor of MOOC Dinosaur Ecosystems
Prof. T. Alexander Dececchi (Dakota State University, USA) – feathered dinosaurs and flight origins
Prof. Michael B. Habib (UCLA, USA) – feathered dinosaur and flight origins; pterosaur flight. Co-supervisor of Ms. Audrey Fan.
Prof. Diego Pol (Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, Argentina) – Gondwanan dinosaur ecosystems; fieldwork in Patagonia, Argentina; instructor of MOOC Dinosaur Ecosystems.
Prof. Tatsuya Hirasawa (University of Tokyo, Japan) – palaeoevo-devo.
Prof. Wei Shyy (Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, China) – animal flight aerodynamics
Prof. Huihe Qiu (Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, China) – animal flight aerodynamics
Prof. Robert Dudley (UC Berkeley, USA) – animal flight origins
Prof. Pablo A. Goloboff (Fundación Miguel Lillo, Tucuman, Argentina) – Phylogenetic analysis and methods
Dr. Julius T. Csotonyi (palaeoartist, Vancouver, Canada) – life reconstructions, including palaeoartist for Dinosaur Ecosystems MOOC
Former Lab Members (28)
Postdocs (3):
3. Dr. Nadia Haidr (La Plata PhD [Argentina], now La Plata Museum [Argentina])
2. Dr. Mattia Baiano (Rio Negro PhD [Argentina], now CONICET researcher [Argentina]
1. Dr. Pei Rui (Columbia /AMNH PhD, now IVPP Associate Professor)
Research Assistants (4):
4. Maxime Grosmougin (Sorbonne-Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle MSc [France], then CUHK PhD student and now CUHK postdoc)
3. Matthieu Chotard (Angers-Renne 1 MSc [France], then CUHK PhD student and now CUHK postdoc)
2. Luke Barlow (Portsmouth BSc [UK], now KCL PhD Student [UK])
1. Athena Tse (Ohio State BSc [USA], now USC PhD Student [USA])
PhD Students (6):
6. Matthieu Chotard – supervised Chinese University of Hong Kong PhD student (2026; hind limb and tail feathering of birds and their fossil relatives; now PDF at CUHK)
5. Maxime Grosmougin – supervised Chinese University of Hong Kong PhD student (2026; wing shapes of modern birds and their fossil kin; now PDF at CUHK)
4. Case V. Miller – supervised University of Hong Kong PhD student (2023; diet and ecology of enantiornithine birds; with Dr. J. Bright; now PDF at Oxford University)
3. Luke Meade – co-supervised U of Birmingham PhD student (2023; functional morphology of oviraptorosaur jaws; with Dr. S. Lautenschlager and Prof. R. Butler; now PDF at U of Birmingham)
2. Fion Waisum Ma – co-supervised U of Birmingham PhD student (2022; functional morphology of oviraptorosaur jaws; supervisors: Dr. S. Lautenschlager and Prof. R. Butler; now staff at HKU)
1. Arindam Roy – supervised University of Hong Kong PhD student (2021; amniote palaeocolour; with Prof. X Xing and Dr. J. Ali; now PDF at U of Birmingham)
MSc and UG students (dissertations, volunteer work and placement programmes) (15):
15. Lai, Lok Hin (Jophy) (UG, CUHK)
14. Leung, Tsz Yee (TY) (UG, CUHK)
13. Tsoi, Kwan Yau (Alan) (UG, CUHK)
12. Himsley Chu (UG; U of Edinburgh, UK)
11. Faye Zhao (MSc; CUHK)
10. Herbert Liu (UG; CUHK)
9. Valerian Jésus (UG; France)
8. Eduardo Josue (UG; Puerto Rico)
7. Ayassi Damoiseau (UG; France)
6. Jessie So (UG; University of Washington)
5. Edison Tse (MSc and UG)
4. Jefferson Hsieh (UG, HKU)
3. Crystal Wong (UG, HKU)
2. Ariel Ng (UG, HKU)
1. Anyang Ding (UG, HKU)