Marshall Lab

As a paleobiologist I am broadly interested in how paleontology can inform our understanding of the history of life, and the processes that have shaped it. My research takes advantage of data from the fossil record, molecular phylogenies, genomics, developmental biology, computer simulation, and functional studies. Much of my work also involves the development of new analytic tools or ways of knowing.

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I am interested in the application of sequence stratigraphy and geochemistry to understanding and contextualizing patterns of evolution and extinction in the fossil record, with an emphasis on how sequence stratigraphic architecture influences our interpretations of mass extinctions and other “abrupt” events in the fossil record.

For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated with understanding the grand story of how life on Earth arrived at the rich array of organisms and interactions we observe in nature today. As such, I am broadly interested in studying how ecosystems change in deep time, particularly with regard to trophic structure. My past research experience includes dinosaur paleontology and tropical community ecology, and I am currently interested in looking at the initial succession of terrestrial ecosystems during the Paleozoic.

I come from a background in ecology, so I am very interested in paleoecological interactions. I plan to examine barriers to migration during the Great American Biotic Interchange. Hopefully, by better understanding what was able to migrate and why we can better understand species distributions.

I am interested in paleobiology and geology, and am currently particularly interested in the origins and radiation of phenotypes that are speculated to be used as display organs, or otherwise have poorly understood functions. I mainly work with vertebrates such as therapsids, mammals, and archosaurs, but I have also done cataloging work with invertebrates and plants. In addition, I work in the UCMP as a collections conservator, repairing, curating and creating housings for vertebrate fossils.

I am broadly interested in the processes that generate and maintain biodiversity through time and space. Currently, I am investigating the biotic mechanisms that drive variation in speciation rates across groups and its relationship with extinction rates. I am also interested in the morphological evolution of the baculum, a bone that displays tremendous morphological variation among mammals and is present in most mammalian species. Furthermore, this bone plays a crucial role in mammalian reproduction, providing a window to understanding the evolution of mammalian reproductive behavior in the fossil record.

I have multifaceted interests in biology, particularly in evolution and ecology. I seek to use fossil evidence to explore the relationship between evolution at different spatial and temporal scales, and learn more about the relationship between ecology and evolution. Currently, I am investigating patterns of morphological evolution in the fossil record, seeking to learn more about how the shape and function of traits change over different timescales and in different environments.

I am passionate about understanding the evolution and biogeography of echinoderms, relying on the integration of morphological, molecular and paleontological data. I am interested in studying the influence of heterochronic processes in the evolution of morphologically conservative echinoids, and the geological and biological events that explain the speciation and distribution of cosmopolitan/endemic taxa. Doing taxonomy of holothuroids and ophiuroids is also something I really love to do!

I am currently Peter Buck Deep Time Postdoctoral Fellow at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.

My interest in Vertebrate Paleontology stems from a desire to understand as much about the world as possible by understanding its past. This depth of history was the essential draw that brought me to geology and, through the study of evolution, to biology. I currently learn about life of the past using anatomy, phylogeny, bone histology, egg microstructure, and taphonomy.

I am currently the James R. Colclough Paleontology Postdoctoral Fellow at the San Diego Natural History Museum.

I am very interested in community assembly processes, in particular, developing ways to try to incorporate diversification dynamics, ecological networks, patterns of trait evolution into our understanding of such processes. For my dissertation work, I aim to study how the functional community assembly of Hawaiian forest communities changes over evolutionary time by using the Hawaiian archipelago as a chronosequence. Some of my previous work has revolved around understanding how phylogenetic diversity interacts with spatial scale, and applying those insights to understanding community phylogenetic patterns of British grassland communities and the phylogenetic patterns of invasive species in the British flora.

I am currently a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Amsterdam, working with Daniel Kissling on the ecology and evolution of palms and their interactions with associated frugivores.

I am broadly interested in understanding the role that macroecology, environmental heterogeneity, and biogeography have played in shaping life across the Phanerozoic over a variety of systems and spatial scales.

I am currently contract Assistant Curator for the Willner Madge Dawn of Life Gallery at the Royal Ontario Museum.

I'm interested in paleobiogeography, functional morphology and some other theoretical stuff. I'm working with UCMP's type specimens collection and trying to figure out function of certain gastropods shells, and how they fare against predators.

My research aims to integrate the fossil record and living biodiversity to understand plant evolution. Such an integrated approach ultimately provides deeper insights into evolution, biogeography, ecological specializations, and the origins of modern vegetation.

I am currently Associate Curator and McAllister Chair of Botany at the California Academy of Sciences

My research combines paleontology, molecular phylogenetics and computer simulation to investigate what generates and maintains biodiversity.

I am currently a professor at the Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil.

I am fundamentally interested in discovering the past and learning how to interpret the present. I appreciate and enjoy the thought-processes behind studies of evolution through paleobiology. My current research allows me to partake in this discourse through analysis of the geographic distribution of different genera of cycads.

I am currently getting my PhD in ancient philosophy at the University of Texas.

I am broadly interested in mass extinctions, radiations, and the way environmental change and biological evolution coincide over geologic timescales. My senior thesis was on the ecological distribution of trilobites across the protracted Late Devonian events.

I worked in the Marshall lab from January 2010 to May 2011. I began as a URAP student working with Tiago on a study of biodiversity through time. In Fall 2010 and Spring 2011, I did my honors thesis in the Marshall lab. Using a time-calibrated molecular phylogeny, I argued that the clade of South American Canids (the Cerdocyonina) was endemic to South America not because it arose from one single lineage crossing the isthmus of Panama, but because of multiple migrations into South American followed by in-situ extinctions in North America.

I am now a Postdoctoral Researcher at Stony Brook University.

As a budding paleobiologist, I have a continuing interest in exploring how powerful methods available from seemingly disparate disciplines can be used to answer paleobiological questions. Therefore, my current research draws from the entire range of the geological time scale, features biological disciplines as diverse as biomechanics and phylogenetics, and reaches beyond paleontology and biology to integrate tools and approaches from engineering, computer-aided design, and tomographic imaging.

I am interested in the thin line between ecology and evolution, especially where it concerns the changing patterns of biodiversity through time and space. In this light, the fossil record is an exciting resource from which we can study these topics beyond the snapshot offered by the living world. I am studying the curious disjunct distribution of cycads across various continents in order to better understand the factors that have contributed to this pattern.

I am broadly interested in questions involving evolution and the fossil record, but am hoping to narrow my focus in the near future. I am working on an expanded phylogeny of Cancer crabs that includes fossils, and am developing equations to estimate the body size of fossil lagomorphs.