Professors

My research centers on the marine ecosystems of the early geological past, and in particular on stromatoporoids. Stromatoporoids were one of the key reef builders during the Paleozoic. From the Ordovician through the Devonian, stromatoporoids built a massive amount of reefs in the tropical seas, constructing reef ecosystems long before modern coral reefs appeared. These sponges offer a window into how reef ecosystems first emerged, flourished, and recovered from extinctions throughout Earth's history.
A broader aim is to trace, across waters and lands, how the principal members of each ecosystem first appeared and rose to prominence, how they spread from one region to another, and how they responded to and recovered from extinctions. This is a central task of paleontology: reading how life, from individuals and communities to the planet, has responded to shifts in climate, sea level, and environment. In the face of present-day climate change, paleontology offers evidence from deep time that helps anticipate the future of the ecosystems around us.

• Ph.D. in Palaeontology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China (Sep. 2018 – Jul. 2023)
• B.S. in Earth and Environmental Sciences, Andong National University, Andong, Korea (Mar. 2014 – Aug. 2018)

• Researcher, Institute of Basic Science, Korea University, Seoul, Korea (Aug. 2023 – Aug. 2026)

1. Jeon, J., Simonet Roda, M., Chen, Z.-Y., Luo, C., Kershaw, S., Kim, D., Ma, J.-Y., Lee, J.-H.*, & Zhang, Y.-D.* (2025). Phosphatic stromatoporoid sponges formed reefs ~480 Mya. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122(15), e2426105122.
2. Jeon, J., Chen, Z.-Y., Trakunweerayut, K., Fang, X., Li, Q.-J., Kershaw, S., Choh, S.-J., & Udchachon, M.* (2026). Sibumasu as a dispersal bridge for Middle Ordovician stromatoporoids in peri-Gondwana. Gondwana Research, 159, 68–92.
3. Jeon, J., Kershaw, S., Liang, K.*, & Zhang, Y.-D. (2023). Stromatoporoids of the Katian (Upper Ordovician) Beiguoshan Formation, North China. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, 21(1), 2234929.
4. Jeon, J.*, Kershaw, S., Li, Y., Chen, Z.-Y., Toom, U., Yu, S.-Y., & Zhang, Y.-D. (2024). Stromatoporoids of the upper Hirnantian (Upper Ordovician) Shiqian Formation of South China: implications for environmental interpretation and the Ordovician–Silurian stromatoporoid transition. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, 22(1), 2351930.