Professor of Biology and Geology, Macalester College
I’m a vertebrate paleontologist most interested in studying dinosaur evolution and paleobiology. My current research focuses on the evolutionary history of Titanosauria – the latest surviving and perhaps most diverse lineage of long- necked sauropod dinosaurs. Titanosauria includes over 40 species that had a near- global distribution during the Late Cretaceous. They are of particular interest to me and my students because of the incredible array of adult body sizes attained within the group. Titanosauria includes the largest land-living animals of all time, as well as species thought to be dwarfs. Among dinosaurs, titanosaurs may be one of the only groups to experience a body size reduction during their evolutionary history. With regard to paleobiology, I am most interested in understanding dinosaur life history, and utilize bone histology to explore and reconstruct growth patterns in extinct dinosaurs, living birds, and other vertebrates. To these ends, I also conduct field research in Montana, Madagascar, and Zimbabwe.
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