James B. Riding,^1,*,** Andrew C. Scott,^2,*** Margaret E. Collinson<sup>2,****

1</sup>aBritish Geological Survey, Environmental Science Centre, Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5GG, United King
²bDepartment of Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 OEX, United

^*CONTACT James B. Riding jbri@bgs.ac.uk British Geological Survey, Environmental Science Centre, Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5GG, United Kingdom
^**James B. Riding is a palynologist with the British Geological Survey (BGS), in Nottingham, UK. He undertook the MSc in palynology at the University of Sheffield, and several years later Jim was awarded a PhD by the same institution. In 2004 he was awarded a DSc by the University of Leicester, where he studied as an undergraduate. Jim's scientific interests include the Mesozoic–Cenozoic palynology of the world, palaeoenvironmental palynology, palynomorph floral provinces, forensic palynology, preparation techniques, the history of palynology, and the morphology, systematics and taxonomy of dinoflagellate cysts. Jim is a past Director-at-Large and President of AASP – The Palynological Society, and became Managing Editor of Palynology in 2004.
^***Andrew C. Scott is a palaeobotanist, palynologist and fire scientist, and is Emeritus Professor of Geology in the Department of Earth Sciences at Royal Holloway, University of London, UK. Following a BSc in geology at Bedford College, University of London, he undertook his PhD under Bill Chaloner in the botany department at Birkbeck College University of London on the ecology of Carboniferous vegetation, graduating in 1976. Andrew then was appointed as a lecturer in geology at Chelsea College (later Royal Holloway) University of London. He was awarded a DSc in 2002, was a visiting professor at Yale University, USA (2006–2007), and was awarded the Gilbert Cady Award by the Geological Society of America in 2007. Andrew currently works on the geological history of wildfire and Carboniferous terrestrial ecosystems.
^****Margaret E. Collinson is a plant palaeobiologist in the Department of Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London. UK. Margaret was a research assistant to Bill Chaloner for one year, after which Bill supervised her PhD at Birkbeck College, University of London. Her interests focus on Paleogene floras, especially the morphology and systematics of plant mesofossils, and applying these in palaeoenvironmental analysis in order to reconstruct former greenhouse worlds and biotic responses to climate change during the Paleogene. Margaret was president of the International Organisation of Palaeobotany (IOP) between 2004 and 2008, and she was awarded a Distinguished Fellowship of the Botanical Society of America in 2015.