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 invertebrate paleontology, paleobotany 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 FLMNH includes the George Gaylord Simpson and Paleobotany research libraries, 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 5115/GLY 5678; Paleobotany, 3 credits (Manchester, Dilcher)
BOT 6927; Evolution and Paleoecology of Plants: Terrestrial Plants and their Environment, 1 credit (Dilcher and Manchester)
BOT 6927; Evolutionary Processes in Plants, 1 credit (Dilcher, co-taught)
GLY 6660; Paleoecology, 3 credits (Jones)
GLY 6698; Topics in Paleobiology, 2 credits (Jones, MacFadden, Bloch)
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 (MacFadden and/or Bloch)
BOT/GLY/ZOO 6905; Individual studies
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.
David L. Dilcher (B.S., Minnesota; Ph.D., Yale), Graduate Research Professor of Paleobotany and Professor of Botany, Geology, and Zoology; Evolutionary biology of flowering plants, phytogeography, plant-animal interactions and paleoclimate.
EMAIL: dilcher@flmnh.ufl.edu
Hu, S., D. L. Dilcher, H. Schneider, and D. Jarzen. 2006. Eusporangiate ferns from the Dakota Formation, Minnesota, USA. International Journal of Plant Sciences, 167: 579-589.
Wang, H., and D. L. Dilcher. 2006. Aquatic angiosperms from the Dakota Formation (Albian, Lower Cretaceous), Hoisington III Locality, Kansas, USA. International Journal of Plant Science 167 (2): 385-401.
Wang, H., and D. L. Dilcher. 2006. Early Cretaceous angiosperm leaves from the Dakota Formation, Braun Ranch locality, Kansas, USA. Palaeontographica Abt. B. 273: 101-137.
Wang, Q., D. L. Dilcher, X. Y. Zhu, Y. L. Zhou, and T. A. Lott. 2006. Fruits and leaflets of Wisteria (Fabaceae, Papilionoideae) from the Miocene of Shandong Province, Eastern China. International Journal of Plants Sciences, 167(5): 1061-1074.
Douglas S. Jones (B.S., Rutgers; M.A., 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
D. S. Jones, I. R. Quitmyer, C. Fred, and T. Andrus. 2004. Seasonal shell growth and longevity in Donax variabilis from northeastern Florida: Evidence from oxygen isotopes. Journal of Shellfish Research 23(3): 707-714.
L. C. Ivany, B. H. Wilkinson and D. S. Jones. 2003. Using stable isotopic data to resolve rate and duration of growth throughout ontogeny: An example from the surf clam, Spisula solidissima. Palaios 18(2): 126-137.
K. P. Teusch, D. S. Jones, and W. D. Allmon. 2002. Morphological variation in turritellid gastropods from the Pleistocene to Recent of Chile: Association with upwelling intensity. Palaios 17(4): 366-377.
Steven R. Manchester (B.S., Oregon State, M.S., Ph.D., Indiana), Associate Curator of Paleobotany and Associate Professor of Botany and Geology; Angiosperm paleobotany, systematics, and paleobiogeography of the Northern Hemisphere, Eocene floras of North America.
EMAIL: steven@flmnh.ufl.edu
Corbett S.L. and Manchester, S.R. 2004. Phytogeography and fossil history of Ailanthus (Simaroubaceae). International Journal of Plant Sciences. 165(4):671-690. 2004.
Boucher, L.D., S.R. Manchester, and W.S. Judd. 2003. An extinct genus of Salicaceae based on twigs with attached flowers, fruits, and foliage from the Eocene Green River Formation of Utah and Colorado, USA. American Journal of Botany 90: 1389-1399.
Manchester, S.R. 2002. Leaves and fruits of Davidia (Cornales) from the Paleocene of North America. Systematic Botany 27:368-382.
Manchester, S. R., M. A. Akhmetiev, and T. Kodrul. 2002. Leaves and fruits of Celtis aspera (Newberry) comb. nov. (Celtidaceae) from the Paleocene of North America and eastern Asia. International Journal of Plant Sciences. 163: 725-736.
Bruce J. MacFadden (B.S., Cornell; M.Phil., 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
MacFadden, B. J., J. Labs-Hochstein, R. C. Hulbert, and J. A. Baskin. 2007. Revised age of the late Neogene terror bird (Titanis) in North America during the Great American Interchange. Geology 35(2):123-126.
Feranec, R. S., and B. J. MacFadden. 2006. Isotopic discrimination of resource partitioning among ungulates in C3-dominated communities from the Miocene of Florida and California. Paleobiology 32(2):191-205.
MacFadden, B. J. 2006. North American Miocene land mammals from Panama. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 26(3):720-734.
Labs-Hochstein, J., and B. J. MacFadden. 2006. Quantification of diagenesis in Cenozoic sharks: elemental and mineralogical changes. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 70:4921-4932.
Jonathan I. Bloch (B.S., Univ. California Santa Barbara; M.S., Ph.D., Univ. Michigan), Assistant Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology and Assistant Professor of Geology, Zoology, and Anthropology; Evolution, functional morphology,
and biogeography of early Cenozoic mammals.
EMAIL: jbloch@flmnh.ufl.edu
Bloch, J. I., M. T. Silcox, E. J. Sargis, and D. M. Boyer. 2007. New Paleocene skeletons and the relationship of plesiadapiforms to crown-clade primates. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 104:1159-1164.
Bloch, J. I., and M. T. Silcox. 2006. Cranial Anatomy of Carpolestes simpsoni (Mammalia, Primates) using ultra high-resolution X-ray computed tomography, and the relationships of plesiadapiforms to Euprimates. Journal of Human Evolution, 50:1-35.
Zack, S. P., T. A. Penkrot, J. I. Bloch, and K. D. Rose. 2005. Affinities of "hyopsodontids" to elephant-shrews and a Holarctic origin of Afrotheria. Nature, 434:497-501.
Wing, S. L., G. J. Harrington, F. Smith, J. I. Bloch, and D. M. Boyer. 2005. Transient floral change and rapid global warming at the Paleocene-Eocene boundary. Science, 310:993-996.
David W. Steadman (Ph.D., Univ. Arizona), Associate Curator of Ornithology, Chair of Department of Natural Sciences, and Associate Professor of Zoology; Avian paleontology and biogeography, extinction on oceanic islands.
EMAIL: dsteadman@flmnh.ufl.edu
Steadman, D. W., P. S. Martin, R. D. E. MacPhee, A. J. T. Jull, H. G. McDonald, C. A. Woods, M. Iturralde-Vinett, and G. W. L. Hodgins. 2005. Asynchronous extinction of late Quaternary sloths on continents and islands. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, 102(33):11763-11768.
Steadman, D. W. 2002. A new species of swiftlet (Aves: Apodidae) from the late Quaternary of Mangaia, Cook Islands, Oceania. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 22:326-331.
Steadman, D. W., G. K. Pregill, and D. V. Burley. 2002. Rapid prehistoric extinction of birds and iguanas in Polynesia. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 99:3673-3677.