People
Current Lab Members
I am serving as Director of Earth and Space Sciences at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science
I am no longer accepting students into my research lab or the graduate program at Ohio University
Joseph Groenke (B.S./B.A. University of Michigan)
Research Assistant & Laboratory Coordinator (2017 - present)
Department of Biomedical Sciences, Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Email
Joe focuses on the technical development of morphological and integrated molecular-morphological datasets through a variety of approaches. He differentiates computed tomographic volumes used to characterize morphology, and he creates biologically realistic polygon products that are used to test developmental, functional, anatomical, and phylogenetic hypotheses. He is responsible for the organization, archiving, replication and distribution of data, and trains students across a number of labs at HCOM to understand the importance of transparent, repeatable methodologies, data stewardship, and data sharing within the greater scientific community. His recent efforts have involved elucidating phenotypic aspects of growth, development, and pathology in model organisms (turkey, mice). He has also worked extensively with fossil material from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar, Tanzania, and Antarctica, as well as serving in logistical coordinating roles in six field seasons in Madagascar between 2005 and 2023.
Selected Publications:
J. R. Groenke, H. Liu, G. Lach, A. Waijpe, D. Berryman, J. J. Kopchick, S. Zhu, and P. M. O’Connor. 2026. Cumulative effects of lifelong systemic excess growth hormone on the postcranial skeletal morphology of adult mice. Journal of Anatomy. https://doi.org/10.1111/joa.70198.
Torres, C. R., J. A. Clarke, J. R. Groenke, M. C. Lamanna, R. D. E. MacPhee, G. M. Musser, E. M. Roberts, and P. M. O’Connor. 2025. Antarctic crown bird reveals ecological shift across end Cretaceous mass extinction. Nature 638:146–151. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08390-0
J. R. Groenke & P.M. O’Connor. 2023. Enhanced resolution at the mechanical-digital interface: A methodology to assist in preparation decision making and improved research and outreach outcomes. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology 83rd annual meeting, Cincinnati, OH.
O’Connor, P. M., A. H. Turner, J. R. Groenke, R. R. Rogers, D. W. Krause, and L. J. Rahantarisoa. 2020. Late Cretaceous bird from Madagascar reveals unique development of beaks. Nature 588:272-276. doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2945-x.
O’Connor, P. M., D. W. Krause, N. J. Stevens, J. R. Groenke, R. D. E. MacPhee, and D. Kalthoff. 2019. A new mammal from the Upper Cretaceous (Turonian - Campanian) Galula Formation, southwestern Tanzania. Acta Paleontologica Polonica64 (1):65-84.
Krause, D. W., S. Hoffmann, J. R. Wible, E. C. Kirk, J. A. Schultz, W. v. Koenigswald, J. R. Groenke, J. B. Rossie, P. M. O’Connor, E. R. Seiffert, E. R. Dumont, W. L. Holloway, R. R. Rogers, L. J. Rahantarisoa, A. D. Kemp, and H. Andriamialison. 2014.First cranial remains of gondwanatherian mammal reveal remarkable mosaicism. Nature 515:512-517.
Joe Groenke- GoogleScholar Profile: Groenke GS
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Belal Salem (B.S. Benha University, Egypt; M.S. Biological Sciences, Ohio University)
Current Ph.D. Student (2024 - present)
Graduate Program in Biological Sciences
Ohio Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Studies
Email
Belal is interested in the paleontology and comparative anatomy of northern African Late Cretaceous Archosaurs (dinosaurs, crocodiles, pterosaurs, etc) with an emphasis on the Egyptian fossil record. He acted as the field manager at the Mansoura University Vertebrate Paleontology center (MUVP) in Egypt from 2020 to 2022. Belal has been actively involved in >30 field expeditions in Egypt collecting and curating a wide array of vertebrate fossils and geological data. As part of a large interdisciplinary and internationl network, Belal provides anatomical and analytical expertise on a vast range of projects centered on the Egyptian fossil record. He is also faculty at Benha University in Egypt, and after receiving his PhD, he plans to continue in a research position and be the first faculty to study vertebrate paleontology in the history of Benha University.
Selected Publications:
Salem, Belal S., P. M. O’Connor, M. C. Lamanna, W. A. Thabet, S. E-Sayeed, and H. M. Sallam. 2026. The first pterosaur fossil from Egypt. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 72(2):383 – 397. http://doi.org/10.4202/app.1344.2026
Salem, Belal S., M. C. Lamanna, P. M. O'Connor, W.A. Thabet, S. El-Sayed, H.M. Sallam. 2023. A peirosaurid crocodyliform from the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Bahariya Formation of the Bahariya Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt. Annual meeting for the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, Program and Abstracts, pp. 378-379.
Salem, Belal S., M. C. Lamanna, P. M. O'Connor, G. M. El-Qot, F. A. Shaker, W. A., Thabet, S. El-Sayed, and H. M. Sallam. 2022. First definitive record of Abelisauridae (Theropoda: Ceratosauria) from the Cretaceous Bahariya Formation, Bahariya Oasis, Western Desert of Egypt. Royal Soceity Open Science https://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.220106 PDF available upon request
Salem, Belal S., P. M. O'Connor, E. Gorscak, S. El-Sayed, J. J. W. Sertich, E. Seiffert, and H. M. Sallam. 2021. Dinosaur remains from the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) of the Western Desert, Egypt. Cretaceous Research 123: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2021.104783 PDF available upon request
Belal Salem-GoogleScholar Profile: Salem GS
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Eric Lund (B.S./M.Sc. University of Utah)
Current Ph.D. Student**
Graduate Program in Biological Sciences and Geological Sciences
Individual Interdisciplinary Program, Ohio Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Studies
Lab Coordinator (2011-2016), Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ohio University
**Current Position (2017 - present): Paleontology Lab Manager & Paleontology Lab Coordinator, North Carolina Museum of Natural Science
Eric is interested in the paleobiology and functional morphology of ceratopsian (horned) dinosaurs and faunal evolution in the Western Interior Basin during the Cretaceous Period. He received his MS degree from the University of Utah in 2010. He has had the opportunity to conduct paleontological field work in Utah, Wyoming, and around the world including Mexico, Tanzania and Madagascar. Eric first moved to Ohio University in late 2011 to work as a laboratory coordinator with the O'Connor lab. He later matriculated as a PhD student in the IIP, focusing his research around ceratopsid evolutionary morphology and functional anatomy. Eric is currently completing his Ph.D. while also serving as the Fossil Conservation Laboratory Manager at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences working with Dr. Lindsay Zanno.
Selected Publications: Lund, E. K., P. M. O’Connor, M. A. Loewen, and Z. A. Jinnah. 2016. A New Centrosaurine Ceratopsid, Machairoceratops cronusi gen et sp. nov., from the upper sand member of the Wahweap Formation (Middle Campanian), Southern Utah. PLoS ONE11(5):e0154403. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0154403. PDF available upon request
Sampson, S. D., E. K. Lund, M. A. Loewen, A. A. Farke, and K. E. Clayton. 2013. A remarkable short snouted horned dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous (late Campanian) of southern Laramidia. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 280 (1766):20131186.
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Former Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Researchers
Riley Sombathy (B.S. Troy University/M.Sc. Adelphi University)
Former Ph.D. Student; Completed Ph.D. in June 2026.
Graduate Program in Biological Sciences (Fall 2021 - 2026)
Ohio Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Studies
Current Position (2026 - present): Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Otterbein University, Columbus, Ohio.
EmailRiley studies paleohistology with a focus on how growth rate and body mass of vertebrates influence the development of bone tissue. His current research includes works on both extinct and extant theropods, using the clade as a system for investigating various factors in bone tissue development. He received his MS degree from Adelphi University in 2021.
Selected Publications from Ph.D.:
Griffin, C. T., J. Bugos, A. W. Poust, Z. S. Morris, R. S. Sombathy, M. D. D’Emic, P. M. O’Connor, H. Petermann, M. Fabbri, and C. Colleary. A diminutive tyrannosaurid lived alongside Tyrannosaurus rex. Science. 2026. https://doi:10.1126/science.adx8706
Sombathy, R., P. M. O’Connor, and M. D. D'Emic. Osteohistology of the unusually fast-growing theropod dinosaur Ceratosaurus. Journal of Anatomy 247:765–789. 2025. https://DOI:10.1111/JOA.14186
M. D. D'Emic, P. M. O’Connor, R. S. Sombathy, I. Cerda, T. R. Pascucci, D. Varricchio, D. Pol, A. Dave, R. A. Coria, and K. A. Curry Rogers. Developmental strategies underlying gigantism and miniaturization in dinosaurs on the line to birds. Science 379:811-814. 2023. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adc8714
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Chris Torres (B.S. North Carolina State University; Ph.D., University of Texas Austin)
Former National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow (2021 - 2024)
Department of Biomedical Sciences, Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Current Position (2024 - present): Assitant Professor, Department of Biology, University of the Pacific
EmailChris is an evolutionary morphologist focused on how the relationships between organisms and their environments change, how the shapes of those organisms change in response, and how those changes have shaped the diversity we see in the world today… and the diversity we don’t see anymore. In the O’Connor lab, Chris investigated relationships between brain shape and functional ecology in birds in both the modern world and in the distant past. Chris is currently accepting students for the MS program in Biology at University of the Pacific.
Selected Publications:
Torres, C. R., J. A. Clarke, J. R. Groenke, M. C. Lamanna, R. D. E. MacPhee, G. M. Musser, E. M. Roberts, and P. M. O’Connor. Antarctic crown bird reveals ecological shift across end Cretaceous mass extinction. 2025.Nature 638:146–151. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08390-0
O’Connor, P. M. and C. R. Torres. Fossil bird skull suggests Antarctic waterfowl survived Cretaceous mass extinction. Nature 638:8049 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-04153-z
Torres, C. R., M. A. Norell, and J. A. Clarke. 2021. Estimating flight style of Early Eocene stem palaeognath bird Calciavis grandei (Lithornithidae). The Anatomical Record 303:1035-1042.
Chris Torres-GoogleScholar Profile: Torres GS
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Bakoli Rakotozafy (B.S./M.S./Ph.D., University of Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar)
Former Ph.D. Student (2018 - 2024)
Menton BEC (Bassins sedimentairies-Evolution-Conservation), University of Antananarivo, Madagascar
Current Positions: Assistant Professor, Paleontology, Menton BEC (Bassins sedimentairies-Evolution-Conservation), University of Antananarivo, Madagascar; Collections Manager, Fossil Collections Facility, University of Antananarivo, Madagascar
In June 2024, Bakoli defended her dissertation entitled, Écomorphologie des crocodyliformes de la Formation Maevarano du Crétacé supérieur du Bassin de Mahajanga, Nord-ouest de Madagascar. Bakoli continues research as a key member of the Mahajanga Basin Project, while also developing new projects on various aspects of paleontology in Madagascar.
Bakoli has conducted field and laboratory research with MBP teams since 2015, in addition to working with our group and the faculty at University of Antananarivo (UA) on collections/facilities efforts. Bakoli completed (November 2022 - December 2023) an extended trainingship at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.
Selected Publications:
Rakotozafy, B., L. Ranivoharimanana, J. J. W. Sertich, A. Rasoamiaramanana and P. M. O’Connor. 2024. Late Cretaceous Notosuchians of the Maevarano Formation, Mahajanga Basin: An Ecomorphological Perspective. Madamines, volume 1:1-53, 2024 (ISSN 2220-0681). PDF Available Here
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Ryan Felice (B.S., Tulane University)
Former PhD Student, Completed Ph.D. 2015
Graduate Program in Biological Sciences (2009 - 2015)
Ohio Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Studies
Current Position: Associate Professor (tenured), Centre for Integrative Anatomy, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London
Ryan is interested in the paleobiology, evolution, and functional morphology. His dissertation was entitled: Evolution and Integration of Avian Caudal Skeletal Morphology. Other research efforts included field work in Wyoming, Utah and Tanzania and a study of synapsid locomotion. After completing his PhD in 2015, Ryan moved to the UK to complete a postdoctoral research fellowship in the lab group of Dr. Anjali Goswami at UC London/Natural History Museum-London. Ryan and Pat currently collaborate on analyses of cranial shape dispartiy and evolution in birds and crocodyliforms.
Selected Publications from PhD:
Felice, R.N., and P. M. O'Connor. 2016 Function drives caudal skeletal variation in sexually dimorphic passeriforms. Journal of Avian Biology: 47:371-377. doi: 10.1111/jav.00801
Felice, R.N. 2014 (early view). Coevolution of Caudal Skeleton and Tail Feathers in Birds. Journal of Morphology. doi: 10.1002/jmor.20321
Felice, R. N., and P. M. O’Connor. 2014. Ecology and caudal skeleton morphology in birds: The convergent evolution of pygostyle shape in underwater foraging taxa. PLoS One 9(2): e89737. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0089737.
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Sam Gutherz (B.S. Georgetown University)
Graduate Program in Biological Sciences (2016 - 2022)
Ohio Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Studies
Current Position (2026-present): Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Education, Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University, Chicago, IL.
Previous Positions (2022-2026): Instructor of Anatomical Sciences, Department of Anatomy, Midwestern University-Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, Downers Grove, IL.
Research Interests:
Sam is interested in the interactions between pulmonary tissue and the skeleton in birds. By studying the development of postcranial pneumaticity in living birds, he hopes to address questions regarding the evolution of the respiratory system in a range of archosaurs. His past research includes neurobiology, paleopathology, and field research in North Dakota and Montana.
Selected Publications from PhD:
Gutherz, S. B., J. R. Groenke, J. J. W. Sertich, S. H. Burch, and P. M. O'Connor. 2020. Paleopathology in a nearly complete skeleton of Majungasaurus crenatissimus (Theropoda: Abelisauridae). Cretaceous Research 115:e104553 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2020.104553 PDF available upon request
Gutherz, S. B. and P. M. O'Connor. 2021. Postcranial skeletal pneumaticity in Cuclidae. Zoology https://doi.org/10.1016/j.zool.2021.125907 PDF available upon request
Gutherz, S. B. and P. M. O'Connor. 2022. Postcranial skeletal pneumaticity in non-aquatic neoavians: Insights from accipitrimorphae. J Anatomy https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/joa.13742 PDF available upon request
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Eric Gorscak (B.S. Ohio University)
Former Ph.D. Student, Completed Ph.D. 2016
Graduate Program in Biological Sciences (2010-2016)
Ohio Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Studies
Current Position: Associate Professor (tenured) in Anatomical Sciences, Midwestern University-Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine
EmailResearch Interests:
Eric is interested phylogenetics, biogeography, and the evolution of African dinosaurs and other vertebrates during the Cretaceous Period. His dissertation was entitled: Descriptive and Comparative Morphology of African Titanosaurian Sauropods: New Information on the Evolution of Cretaceous African Continental Faunas. After completing his PhD in 2016, Eric undertook a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Field Museum of Natural History (Chicago) with Dr. Peter Makovicky. A portion of his research falls under the larger Rukwa Rift Basin Project of southwestern Tanzania. During his PhD, Eric participating in number field expeditions, including those associated with ongoing field research in Tanzania, Antarctica, Utah, and Madagascar.
Selected Publications from PhD:
Gorscak, E., P. M. O’Connor, N. J. Stevens, and E. M. Roberts. 2017. The second titanosaurian (Dinosauria: Sauropoda) from the middle Cretaceous Galula Formation, southwestern Tanzania with remarks on African titanosaurian diversity. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 37: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2017.1343250.PDF available upon request
Gorscak, E. and P. M. O’Connor. 2016. Time-calibrated models support congruency between Cretaceous rifting and titanosaurian evolutionary history. Biology Letters12:20151047 doi.org/10/1098/rsbl.2015.1047. PDF available upon request
Gorscak, E., P. M. O'Connor, N. J. Stevens, and E. M. Roberts. 2014. The basal titanosaurian Rukwatitan bisepultus (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the middle Cretaceous Galula Formation, Rukwa Rift Basin, southwestern Tanzania. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 34:1133–1154. PDF available upon request
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Waymon Lewis Holloway (B.S. Ohio University/M.S. Marshall University)
Former Ph.D. Student, Completed Ph.D. 2018
Graduate Program in Biological Sciences (2013 - 2018)
Ohio Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Studies
Current Position (2024 - present): Assistant Professor, Paul L. Foster School of Medicine | Department of Medical Education | Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, El Paso, Texas
Former Position: Postdoctoral Instructor of Clinical Gross Anatomy, Department of Anatomical Sciences, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA (2018 - 2021). Assistant Professor of Biology, Baldwin Wallace University, Cleveland, OH (2021 - 2024).
Waymon is interested in the functional anatomy of the head and sensory system evolution of archosaurs. His dissertation was entitled: Comparative Cranial Ecomorphology and Functional Morphology of Semiaquatic Faunivorous Crurotarsans. His past research has included invertebrate and microfloral surveys and a digital phytosaur endocast reconstruction, the latter as part of his MS project at Marshall University.
Selected publications from Ph.D.:
Holloway, W. L., K. M. Claeson, H. M. Sallam, J. J. W. Sertich, and P. M. O’Connor. 2017. A new species of the neopterygian fish Enchodus from the Duwi Formation, Campanian, Late Cretaceous, Western Desert, central Egyptr. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica62:603-611. doi:https://doi.org/10.4202/app.00331.2016.
Krause, D. W., S. Hoffmann, J. R. Wible, E. C. Kirk, J. A. Schultz, W. v. Koenigswald, J. R. Groenke, J. B. Rossie, P. M. O’Connor, E. R. Seiffert, E. R. Dumont, W. L. Holloway, R. R. Rogers, L. J. Rahantarisoa, A. D. Kemp, and H. Andriamialison. 2014. First cranial remains of gondwanatherian mammal reveal remarkable mosaicism. Nature515:512-517.
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Nirina (Liva) Ratsimbaholison
Former Ph.D. Student, Completed Ph.D. 2016
Biological Anthropology and Paleontology, University of Antananarivo, Madagascar
Affiliated Student, Ohio Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Studies
Liva completed a Ph.D. in 2016 entitled: Ontogenetic Trends in the Craniomandibular Skeleton of Abelisauridae. He has conducted field research along with the MBP field teams since 2005. Since completing his Ph.D. he has returned to Madagascar, completed a research visit in India, and is continuing to work on publishing dissertation chapters with P. O'Connor and T. Hieronymus.
DEA [Masters Degree] in Paleontology, Université d’Antananarivo, Madagascar. Project Title: Ontogenie Craniofaciale de Majungasaurus crenatissimus (Theropode: Abelisauridae) du Cretace Superieur de Berivotra-Mahajanga. Thesis Defended: April, 2008.
Project Title: Ontogenetic variability of cranio-mandidular system in Majungasaurus crenatissimus.
Selected Publications from PhD:
Ratsimbaholison. N. O., R. N. Felice, and P. M. O’Connor. 2016. Ontogenetic changes in the craniomandibular skeleton of Majungasaurus crenatissimus from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 61:281-292. PDF available upon request
Kerin M. Claeson, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Researcher April 2010-June 2012
Department of Biomedical Sciences, Anatomy Instructor
Ohio Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Studies
Current Position: Full Professor of Anatomy (tenured), Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Email
Kerin’s research combines the disciplines of paleontology, comparative anatomy, and development to formulate and test phylogenetic hypotheses of interrelationships of several groups of fishes, and occasionally other vertebrates. She makes extensive use of worldwide museum collections but has also had the opportunity to conduct field work in Argentina, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wyoming. She received her PhD in Geological Sciences from The University of Texas at Austin in 2010 and her Masters in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 2005. Kerin started a faculty position at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in July 2012. She has been promoted to associate, and now (2021) full professor, where she continues her research on fishes while also playing a significant role in educating future physicians.
____________________________________________________Former PhD Student, Completed PhD in 2009
Graduate Program in Biological Sciences
Ohio Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Studies
Current Position: Full Professor of Anatomy (tenured), Midwestern University College of Medicine
Project Title: Evolution of the avian wing skeleton: Integrating whole bone morphology, cross-sectional geometry, histology, and mechanical testing for evaluating the relationship between form and function in the forelimb of birds.
Selected Publications from PhD:
Simons, E. L. R. and P. M. O’Connor. 2012. Bone laminarity in the avian forelimb skeleton and its relationship to flight mode: Testing Functional Interpretations. Anatomical Record 295:386-396.
Simons, E. L. R., T. L. Hieronymus, and P. M. O’Connor. 2011. Cross sectional geometry of the forelimb skeleton and flight mode in pelecaniform birds. J Morphology 272(8):958-971 .
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Fisher McDiarmid (Biological Sciences, Ohio University)
Undergraduate Student (2019 - 2024)
UGRIP (Undergraduate Research Immersion Program),
Ohio Center for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies
Current Position (2025 - present): MS Program, Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Pacific (California)
Fisher was born and lives in Athens, Ohio. He recently finished his undergraduate degree at Ohio University with a major in Biological Sciences. Fisher worked in the O’Connor lab via the OHIO PACE system and through NSF support. He focused his efforts on segmentation projects in Avizo, including a Jurassic sauropodomorph from Zimbabwe, Late Cretaceous crocodyliforms, nonavian theropods, and mammals from Tanzania and Madagascar.
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Nick Sze (Biological Sciences, Ohio University)
Undergraduate Student (2019 - 2023)
Honors Tutorial College
Current Position (2023 - present): Medical Student, Boonschoft School of Medicine, Wright State University (Ohio)
Nick was born in New York City but grew up in Columbus, Ohio. His involvement with the O’Connor lab initially began as a tutorial during his sophomore year, studying bird evolution. Nick completed (AY22-23) his senior thesis in our lab through the Honors Tutorial College studying ontogenetic changes in bone shape and microstructure in the forelimb of the turkey. Nick also completed a summer program of molecular biology research at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and is now completing his MD training at the Boonschoft School of Medicine at Wright State University.
Selected Publications:
Sze, N., R. Sombathy, J. R. Groenke, and P. M. O’Connor. 2023. Characterizing bone growth and pneumaticity development in birds: Insights from the turkey (Meleagris gallopavo). Ohio University Annual Student eXpo.
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Alex Acker (Biological Sciences, Ohio University)
Undergraduate 2019 - 2023
UGRIP (Undergraduate Research Immersion Program),
Ohio Center for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies
Current Position (2025 - present): Ph.D. Student, North Caroline State University; Supervisor A. Hartstone-Rose.
Former Position (2023 -2025): MS Student, Biological Sciences, Loyola Chicago; Supervisor M, Whitney
Alex was born in New Orleans. He completed his undergraduate degree at Ohio University majoring in Biological Sciences while also pursuing dual minors in Paleontology and African American Studies. During his time at OHIO, Alex learned a variety of digital paleontology workflows, split mostly between 3D model-based digital photography and digital segmentation of microCT and CT-based data. Alex spent most of this time focused on Late Cretaceous crocodylifroms from Tanzania and the Late Cretaceous abelisaurid Majungasaurus crenatissimus from Madagascar. After successfully completing a MS degree in biological sciences at Loyola Chicago with Meg Whitney, Alex is now pursuing a PhD in the Hartstone-Rose Lab at North Carolina State University.
Selected Publications:
Acker, A.L., J. R. Groenke, and P. M. O’Connor. 2022. A digital atlas of the abelisaurid foot: New insights from Majungasaurus crenatissimus (Theropoda: Abelisauridae) from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar. Annual meeting for the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, Program and Abstracts, p. 58-59.
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Eldon Panigot (Biological Sciences, Ohio University)
Undergraduate Student (2017 - 2021)
UGRIP (Undergraduate Research Immersion Program)
Ohio Center for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies
Current Position (2026 - present): M.S. student, Department of Biology, Adelphi University; Supervisor M. D'Emic.
Former Position (2021 -2025): Technician, Digital Research Lab, Denver Museum of Nature & Science; Supervisors L. Dougan and T. Lyson
Eldon was born and raised in Germantown, Maryland. He is currently a research assistant in the Digital Research Lab at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. He completed his BS in Biological Sciences with a minor in Paleontology at Ohio University. During his time in our lab, Eldon worked on a number of lab projects from fossil preparation to digital segmentation efforts. Some highlights of his work with us include leading segmentation efforts on a new sphenodontian specimen from Early Jurassic deposits in Zimbabawe. His general research interests include the evolution of ecosystems and how animal fossils (and those of plants, when available) allow for more rigorous reconstructions of past environments. Eldon has conducted field work in Cretaceous sequences of Utah while working with the Utah Geological Survey field teams. Eldon has spent the last three years working in the Science Division at DMNS, first on on a one-year NSF-supported research assistant position (under the supervision of T. Lyson).
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Suzy Aftabizadeh (Biological Sciences, Spanish, Honors Tutorial College, Ohio University)
Former Undergraduate Student (2017 - 2022)
UGRIP (Undergraduate Research Immersion Program), Sigma Xi, Sigma Delta Pi (National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society), FLES (Foreign Language in Elementary Schools).
Suzy Aftabizadeh was born and lives in Athens, Ohio. She worked in the Stevens and O’Connor labs since 2016 (first as a high school student) and learned a variety of workflows related to both mechanical and digital preparation. Suzy mainly worked on the segmentation of microCT scans of a variety of specimens, including the teeth of the Malagasy fossa and several primates, a fossil bird skull from Antarctica, vertebrae of Cretaceous-age crocodiles, and more. She presented her digital segmentation efforts as part of the OHIO Student Expo in 2017, 2018 and 2020. Suzy finished her biological sciences degree, having previously completed her Spanish degree in the Honors Tutorial College. Her interests in Spanish and biology continue to guide her towards a future in medicine.
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Emily Burns (Geological Sciences, Ohio University)
Former Undergraduate Research Assistant (2017 - 2020), continuing lab volunteer
Previous Position: Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Digital Research Laboratory Intern (Summer - Fall 2021)
Current Position (2022-present): English Instructor, Japen Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program, Japan
Emily grew up in Goshen, NY. She graduated from Ohio University in 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geology and a minor in Paleontology. While studying at Ohio University, Emily was a member of the O’Connor lab where she worked on fossil preparation, organizing collections of 3D prototypes, and digitally segmenting portions of the Late Cretaceous crocodyliform Pakasuchus. Emily continues to be a strong volunteer in the laboratory. Outside of the lab, Emily loves playing her instruments and singing, figure skating, and studying Japanese and various other languages.
____________________________________________________Sarah Gutzwiller
Honors Tutorial College Senior Thesis (2009)
Department of Biological Sciences
Thesis Title: Postcranial skeletal pneumaticity, bone structure, and foraging style in two clades of neognath birds.
Publication from Senior Thesis:
S. Gutzwiller, A. Su, and P. M. O’Connor. Postcranial pneumaticity and bone structure in two clades of neognath birds. Anatomical Record 296:867-876 (2013)