HARVARD.EDU HOME Members Publications Research Teaching Lab News Join Us! Useful Links Menu background HOME / Lab Members ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ PI - Postdoctoral Researchers - Graduate Students - Undergraduate Researchers - External Collaborators - Former Members CV - October 2019 Javier Ortega-Hernández Assistant Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Curator of Invertebrate Paleontology in the Museum of Comparative Zoology Short Bio: I am an invertebrate paleobiologist interested in the evolution of major animal groups during the Paleozoic, with particular emphasis on the Cambrian Explosion and the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event. Originally from Mexico City, I obtained my undergraduate degree in Biology from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, and in 2008 completed the MSc in Palaeobiology at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom. I then moved to the University of Cambridge from 2009 to 2018, first as a PhD student at the Department of Earth Sciences, and then as a Research Fellow of Emmanuel College and the Department of Zoology. I have been part of the faculty at the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and curator at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University since January 2019. Keywords: Paleozoic | Cambrian Explosion | exceptional preservation | phylogeny | evo-devo | Ecdysozoa Email: jortegahernandez@fas.harvard.edu ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ PI - Postdoctoral Researchers - Graduate Students - Undergraduate Researchers - External Collaborators - Former Members Postdoctoral Researchers Rudy Lerosey-Aubril Research Associate - Spring '19 Short Bio: I am an invertebrate paleontologist investigating the evolution of early animals and their organization into modern-type ecosystems. To do so, I travel the world to study Konservat-Lagerstätten – exceptional deposits preserving the remains of both biomineralizing and soft-bodied organisms. These remarkable localities provide unparalleled insights into the anatomy and ecological interactions of extinct organisms. My preference goes to the Cambrian Lagerstätten of western Utah (Wheeler, Marjum, Weeks), but I am fortunate enough to work on Early Paleozoic exceptional fossils from all over the world. My areas of expertise are the biology, phylogeny and diversification dynamics of fossil and modern arthropods (and relatives), with special interests for gut anatomy and feeding strategies. I completed a Master (2001) and a Ph.D. (2004) in Paleobiology at the University of Montpellier, France – both on trilobite developmental strategies and mass extinctions – and then, occupied curator, research and teaching positions in Australia, France, and Germany. Keywords: Arthropoda | comparative anatomy | diversity dynamics | functional morphology | Konservat-Lagerstätten | trophic interactions Email: rudy_lerosey@fas.harvard.edu Jo M. Wolfe National Science Foundation Co-PI / Research Associate - Spring '19 Short Bio: My research program revolves around the evolution of complex characters considered ‘key innovations’ and their influence on phenotypic evolution and biodiversity through time. My toolkit draws on both the geological and genomic histories of organisms. Geological data are derived primarily from the ‘exceptionally preserved’ fossil record, i.e. those fossils that preserve soft tissues. Genomic data are used to reconstruct phylogenies of study groups, as well as to elucidate the distribution and expression of gene families across those groups. In combination, these data types provide reciprocal illumination of evolutionary innovations and set the stage for integrative studies of non-model organisms. I received my B.Sc. from the University of Toronto in 2007, and my Ph.D. from Yale University in 2012. I previously undertook postdoctoral positions at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Keywords: Phylogenetics | phylogenomics | macroevolution |crustaceans | Cambrian explosion |marine biology | microbial evolution Email: jowolfe@g.harvard.edu Javier Luque National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Researcher - Fall '20 Short Bio: My research investigates the processes that have shaped the anatomical diversity of decapod crustaceans through time, via integration of paleontological and neontological approaches. Particularly, I am interested in exceptional preservation of marine faunas from tropical settings, the evolution of novel forms, the phylogenetic relationships among extinct and extant decapods, and their visual systems. I obtained my B.Sc. from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia (2006), my M.Sc. from the Université de Montréal (2012), and my Ph.D. from the University of Alberta (2018). Recently, I have completed a postdoctoral appointment at Yale University, supported by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Postdoctoral Fellowship. Keywords: Crustacea | macroevolution | Neotropics | paleobiology | phylogenetics Email: jluque@fas.harvard.edu Karma Nanglu National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Researcher - Summer '21 Short Bio: My research focuses on the early evolution and ecology of complex marine life through the description and analysis of early Paleozoic fossils, from individual specimens and new species to entire faunas. From an evolutionary perspective, my work largely concerns the origins of the phylum Hemichordata, the early history of which remains one of the most enigmatic areas of the metazoan tree of life. This research is currently expanding to incorporate a wider, multi-disciplinary perspective on the super-phylum Deuterostomia. I also study the diversity, structure, and functional ecology of Paleozoic marine ecosystems. To do this, I take a multivariate approach to analyze spatiotemporal patterns of ecological turnover. I completed my PhD at the University of Toronto and Royal Ontario Museum in 2018. Most recently, I was a Peter Buck Deep Time post-doctoral fellow at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Keywords: community ecology | evolutionary biology | Cambrian | Hemichordata | Deuterostomia | taphonomy Email: knanglu@fas.harvard.edu ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ PI - Postdoctoral Researchers - Graduate Students - Undergraduate Researchers - External Collaborators - Former Members Graduate Students Richard J. Knecht Graduate student - Fall '18 Short Bio: I am a paleobiologist and evolutionary ecologist that focuses primarily on terrestrial systems of the Paleozoic with a primary emphasis on early hexapods and the evolution of flight in insects (pterygota). I earned a BS in Geology from Tufts University where I worked on several research projects including the paleoecology of a Late Carboniferous intermontane basin, paleoecology and paleobiogeography of Pleistocene glaciolacustrine fossils using varve chronostratigraphy, and the paleobiology of a Carboniferous sponge forest before spending the next several years working in the collections of the Invertebrate and Vertebrate Paleontology Departments at the Museum of Comparative Zoology. I resumed my education and completed a MS in Geology from the University of New Hampshire, Durham. My research at UNH used resurrection ecology and the recovery of subfossil ephippia (resting eggs) of freshwater zooplankton to examine the structure, drivers, and limits of competition and coexistence in natural systems. Keywords: Paleozoic | paleoentomology | ichnology |Carboniferous | evolution of flight | terrestrial systems | paleolimnology | evolutionary ecology Email: rknecht@fas.harvard.edu Sarah R. Losso Graduate student - Fall '18 Short Bio: I am an invertebrate paleobiologist focused on trilobite phylogenetics, paleoecology, and macroevolution. I graduated from Mount Holyoke College in western Massachusetts in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology, then completed an MS in Earth and Environmental Science from the University of Iowa. Research for my MS focused on description of five new species, assigned to a new genus of dimeropygid trilobites from the earliest stage of the Ordovician of western Utah and southeastern Idaho. Keywords: phylogenetics | systematics | paleoecology | macroevolution Email: sarahlosso@g.harvard.edu Marc A. Mapalo Graduate student - Fall '19 Short Bio: I'm a tardigradologist who is interested in combining modern (-omics and dev-bio analyses) and fossil data to understand the evolution of tardigrades and their ecdysozoan relatives. I obtained my BS and MS in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology from the University of the Philippines - Diliman where I got trained in molecular biology techniques, phylogenetic analyses, and immunology work. My undergraduate and MS theses involved the study of Philippine tardigrades, including description of new species. I then became part of the Erasmus Mundus Master Programme in Evolutionary Biology (MEME) where I got two more MS degrees from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany (MS Evolution, Ecology, and Systematics) and Uppsala University, Sweden (MS Biology). My MS theses involved the use of genomic and transcriptomic data for bioinformatic analyses, such as phylogenomics and ancient human DNA population genomic analyses. During this time, I was trained how to work in an ancient DNA lab facility. Keywords: tardigrade evolution | ecdysozoan fossils | phylogenomics | systematics | evo-devo Email: marcmapalo@g.harvard.edu Jared C. Richards Graduate student - Fall '20 Short Bio: I am a paleoecologist that focuses on quantitative approaches to understanding the marine systems of the Paleozoic Era. I received a BS in Quantitative Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. My research at UNC-Chapel Hill focused on the distribution and prevalence of bioerosion on extant Caribbean reef environments, the biogeography of extant cephalopods along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and how environmental change influences reproductive methods used by late Cenozoic Era foraminifera. Keywords: evolutionary paleoecology | quantitative approaches | exceptional preservation | Paleozoic Email: jrichards@g.harvard.edu ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ PI - Postdoctoral Researchers - Graduate Students - Undergraduate Researchers - External Collaborators - Former Members Undergraduate Researchers and Interns Holly Sullivan Scientific Illustrator - Spring '20 Short Bio: Holly is a science illustrator and current graduate student at California State University Monterey Bay in the Science Illustration graduate program. She graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science. As a science illustrator, she aims to educate as well as invoke interest and appreciation for science and the natural world through her artwork. Holly has collaborated with numerous researchers from around the world to create illustrations and graphics for their work. She has work published in a number of scientific publications including The Journal of Andrology and The Journal of Anesthesia and Analgesia. One of her current projects entails working as a science illustration consultant at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, creating graphics for a NASA mission. Along with her internship with the Ortega-Hernández Lab for Invertebrate Paleobiology, Holly is working full time as a freelance science illustrator and gladly welcomes all commissions. Visit the Scientific Illustration section to check out some of Holly's latest work. Keywords: science illustrator | sciart | scicomm |zoology |paleoart |science art Email: sullivanscientific@gmail.com Logan Qualls Undergraduate researcher - Summer '20 Short Bio: I am a rising Junior at Harvard, concentrating in Integrative Biology, with a secondary field in Classics. I am interested in the paleoecology of the Paleozoic, as well as studying the inter-relatedness of species using fossil morphologies. I am also interested in vertebrate paleontology, and tree spalting fungi. This summer, I will be observing morphometric differences in the Isotelus genus of trilobites to determine phylogenetic relationships, as well as analyzing how morphologies affect the drag of the organism. Keywords: phylogenetics | morphometrics | paleoecology | macroevolution | Paleozoic Email: lqualls@college.harvard.edu Maddi Waskom Undergraduate researcher - Summer '20 Short Bio: I am a rising junior at Harvard studying Integrative Biology and Earth and Planetary Science. My academic interests fall at the intersection of biology and Earth history and understanding how life and the planet have shaped each other. Additionally, I hold a special place in my heart for science communication and education in classrooms and media. This summer I will be working with trilobite thin sections from the Walcott-Rust Quarry. Keywords: Earth history | macroevolution | taphonomy | science communication Email: madeleinewaskom@college.harvard.edu Joy C. Julius Post-baccalaureate researcher - Fall '21 Short Bio: I am a 2021 graduate from CUNY Bernard M Baruch College with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Biological Sciences. I’m originally from Nigeria. I am interested in working with 3D technology, evolution of morphological characteristics of Ant eating fossils (Pholidota and Xenathra), Genomic annotation of Drosophila. This Fall, I will be assisting in quantifying the morphology of carcinization by beginning micro-CT scanning of sexual dimorphic morphology of Anomura and Brachyura. Keywords: Phylogenetics | Convergent Evolution | Biotechnology | Morphology | Xenathra | Pholidota Email: joyjulius@fas.harvard.edu ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ PI - Postdoctoral Researchers - Graduate Students - Undergraduate Researchers - External Collaborators - Former Members External Collaborators Dongjing Fu (傅东静) Professor, Northwest University, Xian Short Bio: Dongjing‘s principal research interests revolve around the so-called ‘Cambrian explosion’, a unique time for life evolution that took place approximately 540-505 million years ago. Her work is focused at the moment on understanding the origin and evolution of the early animals, particularly in studying of morphology, ontogeny and the phylogeny of euarthropods. These investigations are largely based on the study of exceptionally preserved soft-bodied assemblages of a series of Konservat-Lagerstätten (sites of exceptional preservation) in South China, such as the Qingjiang, Chengjiang, Guanshan, Shipai and some new faunas ranging from Cambrian stage 2 to Furongian. Keywords: Cambrian Explosion | exceptional preservation | metazoans | Arthropoda | evolution Email: djfu@nwu.edu.cn Yu Liu (刘煜) Professor, Yunnan University, Kunming Short Bio: 2009: PhD, University of Ulm, Germany. Major: Natural Sciences. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Dieter Waloszek. 12/2009–09/2016: Associated Professor, Dept. of Biology II, Univ. of Munich, Germany. 10/2016–present: Deputy Director, Professor, Yunnan Key Laboratory for Palaeobiology, Yunnan University, China. Keywords: Cambrian | Arthropoda | development | embryology | micro computed tomography Email: yu.liu@ynu.edu.cn Da-you Zhai (翟大有) Associate Professor, Yunnan University, Kunming Short Bio: 2005.09–2011.01, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Ph.D.) 2011.01–2014.01, Postdoctoral Researcher, Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences 2014.01–2015.06, Associate Professor, Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences 2015.07–present , Associate Professor, Yunnan Key Laboratory for Palaeobiology, Yunnan University Keywords: Taxonomy | phylogeny | paleoecology | Cambrian | bivalved arthropods | ostracods Email: dyzhai@ynu.edu.cn ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ PI - Postdoctoral Researchers - Graduate Students - Undergraduate Researchers - External Collaborators - Former Members Former Members Cole Lombardi MCZ Research Intern 2019 Arthur Lynch NSF-REU Research Intern 2020 Now undergraduate student at Dartmouth College Stephen Pates MCZ Postdoctoral Fellow 2019 Now Herchel Smith Fellow at the University of Cambridge Jackson Kehoe Undergraduate Researcher 2020 Integrative Biology major at Harvard College Admin Login OpenScholar Copyright © 2021 The President and Fellows of Harvard College | Accessibility | Digital Accessibility | Report Copyright Infringement