Hi there! I'm Brigid, a PhD candidate in the Department of Anatomical Sciences & Neurobiology, University of Louisville School of Medicine. I am an anatomist and paleontologist studying the evolutionary morphology of Mesozoic mammals. I am also involved in teaching anatomical sciences, particularly gross anatomy, to health professions students.
In recent published work, I have described dental remains from the Jurassic of modern-day Utah (US) and the Cretaceous of modern-day Patagonia (Argentina). Broad questions that interest me include:
In recent published work, I have described dental remains from the Jurassic of modern-day Utah (US) and the Cretaceous of modern-day Patagonia (Argentina). Broad questions that interest me include:
- What can fossils (especially teeth, jaws, and skulls) tell us about the sensory biology of early mammals?
- What adaptations allowed early mammals to thrive, and even become specialized for locomotor modes such as fossoriality (digging)?
- How might morphological features affect how paleontologists reconstruct the mammal "family tree"?
I use comparative morphology of fossil specimens, often via microCT data, to investigate these and other questions about early mammal evolution.