Aksel Tuğba Türkecan,^1,* Dirk Munsterman,^2,** Uğraş Işik,^1,*** Demir Altiner,^3,**** Mehtap Pinar,^1,***** Tuğba Çevik,^1,****** Zeynep Alay<sup>1,*******

1</sup>aTurkish Petroleum (TP), Söğütözü, TR-06100 Ankara, Turkey
²bNetherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research TNO, Earth, Life and Social Sciences – Geo
³cDepartment of Geological Engineering, Middle East Technical University, TR-06531 Ankara, Turkey

^*Aksel Tuğba Türkecan graduated in 2006 with a BSc from the Middle East Technical University, Ankara-Turkey. In 2009, she completed her MSc on the Carboniferous foraminifera and sequence stratigraphy of the Aladağ Unit (Central Taurides, Turkey) from the same institution. She received her PhD on the Miocenepalynology of the Eastern Mediterranean in 2017. She has been a palynologist in the Research and Development Center of Turkish Petroleum since 2010, and has worked on research projects in exploration focusing on Palaeozoic and Cenozoic palynology. She is currently working on unconventional exploration projects in the Palaeozoic and Neogene of the Eastern Mediterranean.
^**Dirk Munsterman is a seniorpalynologist and geologist at TNO (the Geological Survey of the Netherlands) in Utrecht. Previously he was project manager and coordinator of the Geo-Biology team within TNO, Petroleum Geosciences. Between 1980 and 1997, Dirk's work has mainly centered on the Mesozoic and Cenozoic palynology of the North Sea area. He has participated in various exploration and production industry projects from many locations worldwide. Dirk studied Mathematics, Economics and History at the University of Amsterdam, and Sedimentary Geology at the University of Utrecht. He graduated cum laude from both universities.
^***Uğraş Işik is a micropalaeontologist in the Research and Development Center of Turkish Petroleum. She graduated in 2010 from Ankara University with a PhD on the larger benthic foraminifera and stratigraphy of the Oligocene-Miocene of Southeast Anatolia, and is currently working on planktonic and benthic foraminifera of the Mediterranean, Black Sea and Anatolia.
^****Demír Altiner graduated in 1971 and 1974 with BSc and MSc degrees respectively from the Middle East Technical University, Ankara-Turkey. He later received his PhD in 1981 on the Palaeozoic and Mesozoic foraminiferal palaeontology and stratigraphy of the carbonate successions in Taurides, Turkey from the University of Geneva, Switzerland, under the late professors Paul Brönniman and Louisette Zaninetti. His main research topicsare the systematics and evolutionary trends of Palaeozoic and Mesozoic foraminifera from Gondwana and Eurasia, the Carboniferous and Permian microfaunas of Brazil and the Triassic foraminifera of southern China. Demir also works on high resolution sequence stratigraphy, palaeobiogeography and tectonics of the Tethys. Since 1992 he has been Professor of Palaeontology, Stratigraphy and Historical Geology at the Middle East Technical University. Demir retired in 2016, but continues his research.
^*****Mehtap Pinar graduated in Geological Engineering from Ankara University, Turkey in 2007. After graduation, she was supported by the Turkish Petroleum Corporation for study in the USA. Mehtap received her MSc from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2013. Currently, she is working as a micropalaeontologist at the Turkish Petroleum Research and Development Center in Ankara.
^******Tuğba Çevík received her BSc in Geological Engineering from Ankara University in 2010. After graduation, she was sponsored by the Turkish Petroleum Corporation to study in the USA. Tuğba enrolled at Florida State University in 2012, where she learned calcareous nannofossils under the guidance of Dr Sherwood W. Wise Jr. After completing her MSc in 2014, she joined the Turkish Petroleum Research and Development Center in Ankara as a nannopaleontologist.
^*******Zeynep Alay received her BSc in 2002 and her MSc in 2005 in Geological Engineering, both from Ankara University, Turkey. After completing her MSc, she joined the the Turkish Petroleum Corporation as an exploration geologist in 2007 where she works on calcareous nannofossils.