Current student opportunities
Under and Graduate student opportunities.
Contact me if you are interested in to participate in any of the following projects:
Molecular Paleontology
* Exploring the preservation and determining the paleobiological implications of osteocytes (bone cells) in the fossil record of South American tropical vertebrates.
* Determining the physiological-metabolic value and ontogenetic variation of osteocytes (bone cells) in extant turtles.
* Osteocytes density in shell and long bones from extant turtles. Establising a potential paleobiological proxy.
* New methods for exploring the extracction-preservation of biomolecules in fossil osteocytes and blood vessels.
Vertebrate paleontology
* Different field and lab studies on new fossil vertebrates of Colombia
* Shell morphological variation among the extant and fossil species of neotropical turtles
* Cenozoic fossil turtles of Colombia.
Phylogeny and evolution of neotropical faunas
* Fossil invertebrates from the Valanginian of Zapatoca, Colombia. Evolutionary, phylogenetic and paleoceanographical implications
* Exploring the Triassic and Jurassic fossil record of Colombia
Contact me if you are interested in to participate in any of the following projects:
Molecular Paleontology
* Exploring the preservation and determining the paleobiological implications of osteocytes (bone cells) in the fossil record of South American tropical vertebrates.
* Determining the physiological-metabolic value and ontogenetic variation of osteocytes (bone cells) in extant turtles.
* Osteocytes density in shell and long bones from extant turtles. Establising a potential paleobiological proxy.
* New methods for exploring the extracction-preservation of biomolecules in fossil osteocytes and blood vessels.
Vertebrate paleontology
* Different field and lab studies on new fossil vertebrates of Colombia
* Shell morphological variation among the extant and fossil species of neotropical turtles
* Cenozoic fossil turtles of Colombia.
Phylogeny and evolution of neotropical faunas
* Fossil invertebrates from the Valanginian of Zapatoca, Colombia. Evolutionary, phylogenetic and paleoceanographical implications
* Exploring the Triassic and Jurassic fossil record of Colombia
Research team and staff
Research Associates
Dr. Monica Carvalho. University of Michigan. 2022-present
Dr. Fabiany Herrera. Field Museum of Natural History. 2022-present
Dr. Fabiany Herrera. Field Museum of Natural History. 2022-present
Postdoctoral fellows-visitors
Dr. Catalina Suarez. Postdoctoral fellow. Universidad del Rosario. 2022-2023
PhD candidate. Charlene Gaillard. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. 2024-2025
PhD candidate. Daniel Plaza. Universidad Federal de Goiás. 2023-2023
MSc. Hector Palma. Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Research on fossil plants. Fall 2024
MSc. Theodore Matel. University of Michigan. 2024-2025
PhD candidate. Charlene Gaillard. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. 2024-2025
PhD candidate. Daniel Plaza. Universidad Federal de Goiás. 2023-2023
MSc. Hector Palma. Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Research on fossil plants. Fall 2024
MSc. Theodore Matel. University of Michigan. 2024-2025
Current students
David Leal. Taxonomy, systematic and paleodiversity of pycnodontiformes fishes during the Early Cretaceous of Colombia. Advisor-MSc in Natural Science. 2025-
Diego Combita. Unraveling the Taxonomy and Evolution of Miocene Tortoises from La Venta, Colombia. Advisor-MSc in Natural Science 2024-
Daniel Macias. A new species of marine crocodylomorph (Thalattosuchia) from the Valanginian of Colombia; paleoecologic, paleobiogeographic and body size evolution implications. Advisor-MSc in Natural Sciences 2022-
Javier García Guerrero. New elasmosaourids from the Early Cretaceous of Colombia. Advisor-PhD in Geosciences, Universidad Nacional del Colombia 2020-
Diego Combita. Unraveling the Taxonomy and Evolution of Miocene Tortoises from La Venta, Colombia. Advisor-MSc in Natural Science 2024-
Daniel Macias. A new species of marine crocodylomorph (Thalattosuchia) from the Valanginian of Colombia; paleoecologic, paleobiogeographic and body size evolution implications. Advisor-MSc in Natural Sciences 2022-
Javier García Guerrero. New elasmosaourids from the Early Cretaceous of Colombia. Advisor-PhD in Geosciences, Universidad Nacional del Colombia 2020-
Research Assistants
MSc. Lino Guevara. Outreach, collection curation and CT processing. 2024-2025
MSc. Viviana Romero. Phylogeny and paleobiogeography of turtles. Fall 2021
MSc. José David Basto. Machine learning and AnNA applied for fossils. Fall 2021
MSc. Viviana Romero. Phylogeny and paleobiogeography of turtles. Fall 2021
MSc. José David Basto. Machine learning and AnNA applied for fossils. Fall 2021
Former students
Manuel Martínez. Potential soft tissue from a fossil ichthyosaur found in the Early Cretaceous (Barremian - Aptian) of Colombia. Advisor. Bachelor in Geosciences. Universidad de Los Andes. 2024.
Andrés Alfonso Rojas. New fossil snakes from the Paleocene and Miocene of Colombia. Advisor-Master in Natural Sciences, Universidad del Rosario, Colombia 2020-2022
Manuel González Camelo. Diversity of ammonites from a single stratigraphic horizon of the Rosa Blanca Formation, Zapatoca, Colombia. Advisor-Bachelor of Science in Biology, Universidad del Rosario, Colombia 2021-2022
Juan Sebastian Benavides Aldana. Revision, identification and cataloguing of the fossil cephalopods, Museo de la Salle. Advisor-Bachelor of Science in Biology, Universidad de La Salle, Colombia 2021-2022
Christine Nation. New Chelonoidis fossil turtles from La Venta, Colombia. Co-advisor- Universidad de los Andes. 2019-2020.
Fernando Torres Chiriboga. Fossil tortoises from Santa Elena Province, Ecuador. co-advisor - Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador. 2016-2017
Anthony Deza. Fossil turtles from the Pleistocene Talara (tar seep) from Perú. Advisor. Universidad Nacional de Piura, Perú. 2017-2018.
Andrés Alfonso Rojas. New fossil snakes from the Paleocene and Miocene of Colombia. Advisor-Master in Natural Sciences, Universidad del Rosario, Colombia 2020-2022
Manuel González Camelo. Diversity of ammonites from a single stratigraphic horizon of the Rosa Blanca Formation, Zapatoca, Colombia. Advisor-Bachelor of Science in Biology, Universidad del Rosario, Colombia 2021-2022
Juan Sebastian Benavides Aldana. Revision, identification and cataloguing of the fossil cephalopods, Museo de la Salle. Advisor-Bachelor of Science in Biology, Universidad de La Salle, Colombia 2021-2022
Christine Nation. New Chelonoidis fossil turtles from La Venta, Colombia. Co-advisor- Universidad de los Andes. 2019-2020.
Fernando Torres Chiriboga. Fossil tortoises from Santa Elena Province, Ecuador. co-advisor - Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador. 2016-2017
Anthony Deza. Fossil turtles from the Pleistocene Talara (tar seep) from Perú. Advisor. Universidad Nacional de Piura, Perú. 2017-2018.