Hi! My name is Josh, a vertebrate paleontologist and assistant professor of evolutionary biology, currently based at Lake Forest College, IL.
Education
MSci (Geology) – University of Birmingham (2016)
PhD (Biology) – North Carolina State University (2024)
Current Work
I received my PhD in June 2024 from NC State. Working under Dr Lindsay Zanno, my dissertation focused on the eggs and nests of oviraptorosaur dinosaurs. Based on a new nest found in Utah, the first of its kind from North America, we were able to gain new insight into the unusual nesting behavior of oviraptorosaurs. With particularly good preservation and preparation of the eggs, we were able to develop new methods of high-resolution surface scanning to compare the external texture of these eggs and re-evaluate their variation. This led to comparisons with modern bird eggs, nests of closely-related ovriaptorosaurs in Asia, and new hypotheses for eggshell ornamentation for which we are publishing work currently!
Following my PhD, I started as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology at Lake Forest College near Chicago, IL. While continuing to work on my PhD research questions, I am teaching classes higher level classes on Evolution and Paleoecology, a core biology class on Evolutionary Ecology, , and an interdisciplinary introductory class called The Science of Water.
Outside of work, I enjoy playing and watching sports, science fiction cinema, The Simpsons, and hiking/camping with my girlfriend Sar and our dog, George.