The Florida Museum of Natural History, a research and educational unit within the University of Florida, has an active program in paleontology and paleobiology.

There are three large, relevant research collections, including paleobotany, invertebrate paleontology and vertebrate paleontology, which taken together, include over one million specimens. The research facilities within the museum or in the affiliate departments are modern, comprehensive and include screenwashing and preparation laboratories, stereo, light, and scanning electron microscopes, mass spectrometer, image analysis systems, and paleomagnetic laboratory.

In addition to the main UF libraries, the Florida Museum includes the George Gaylord Simpson and Paleobotany research libraries, the John Grayson Palynology Library, which together contain about 3,000 books, runs of 25 specialized journals, and 50,000 reprints.

Prospective graduate students intending to pursue Master’s or Doctoral studies in paleontology and paleobiology can apply to the departments of Anthropology, Botany, Geology, or Zoology, depending upon their particular background and research interests. Financial support is available in the form of graduate teaching assistantships and museum assistantships. For application materials and further information about these programs contact:

Graduate Coordinator
(appropriate department as listed above)
University of Florida
Gainesville FL 32611

It is also helpful during the application process to contact one of the faculty members with interests similar to yours listed below.

There are many graduate courses in paleontology, paleobiology, and related disciplines taught at UF. Each program of graduate coursework is quite flexible, depending upon the particular needs and interests of the student. Courses taught by FLMNH paleobiologists include:

BOT 4935, BOT 5305, GLY 4930, GLY6932; Paleobotany, 3 credits (Manchester)
BOT BOT 6935; GLY 6932 (grad); Palynology–Systematic Pollen and Spore Morphology, 3 credits (Manchester)
GLY 6660; Paleoecology, 3 credits (Jones)
GLY 6698; Topics in Paleobiology, 2 credits (Jones, MacFadden)
PCB 4674; Evolution, 3 credits (MacFadden, co-taught with Zoology Faculty)
ZOO 4926/GLY 6932; Vertebrate Macroevolution, 3 credits (MacFadden)
ZOO/GLY 5640; Vertebrate Paleontology, 3 credits (Bloch, MacFadden)
BOT/GLY/ZOO 6905; Individual studies
BOT 6935 Paleobotanical Microtechnique, 1 credit (Manchester)
BOT/GLY/ZOO 6910; Supervised research
BOT/GLY/ZOO 6971 & 7980; Master’s and Doctoral Research

Other related courses available to paleobiology graduate students include, e. g., systematics, mammalogy, herpetology, ornithology, ichthyology, community ecology, morphometrics, micropaleontology, invertebrate paleontology, paleomagnetism, vertebrate paleoecology, biological photography, human osteology, isotope geology, and zooarchaeology.

Museum Faculty in Paleontology and Paleobiology

Jonathan I. Bloch
Ph.D. University of Michigan
Assistant Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology
Email: jbloch@flmnh.ufl.edu

Douglas S. Jones
Ph.D., Princeton
Curator of Invertebrate Paleontology, Professor of Geology, and Director of the Florida Museum of Natural History; molluscan paleoecology; paleoclimatology; marine ecology; biogeochemistry of marine invertebrates; Cenozoic invertebrates of Florida.
Email: dsjones@flmnh.ufl.edu

Bruce J. MacFadden
Ph.D., Columbia
Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology and Professor of Geology, Latin American Studies, and Zoology; Systematics, geochronology, and paleoecology (particularly using stable isotopes) of late Cenozoic mammals from the New World.
Email: bmacfadd@flmnh.ufl.edu

Steven R. Manchester
Ph.D., Indiana
Curator of Paleobotany and Professor of Botany and Geology; Angiosperm paleobotany, systematics, and paleobiogeography of the Northern Hemisphere, Eocene floras of North America.
Email: steven@flmnh.ufl.edu

David W. Steadman
Ph.D., Univ. Arizona
Curator of Ornithology, and Professor of Zoology; Avian paleontology and biogeography, extinction on oceanic islands.
Email: dws@flmnh.ufl.edu