Patrick Rioual has been a Researcher at the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), since 2004. He received his Master’s degree from Aix-Marseille Université, France, in 1994 and his Ph.D. from University College London in 2000. Prior to joining the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, he was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Environmental Change Research Centre (ECRC), University College London. His main research interests include ecological responses to paleoenvironmental change and the distribution of modern diatoms in relation to their environment and diatom taxonomy.