I study the role of the evolution of the solid earth (plate tectonics and paleogeography) and paleoclimate in shaping modern biodiveristy. At the moment, I am working on a (Veni)-project focused on the island of New Caledonia, a biodiversity hotspot in the Pacific Ocean. I use different techniques (such as paleomagnetic tools, biomarker analyses, and palynology) to reconstruct the paleogeography and paleoclimate of the region. Second, I will correlate this reconstruction of paleoenvironment with biological evolution using phylogenetic datasets.