Paleoecology and functional diversity of freshwater sharks and bony fish in the Upper Cretaceous and early Paleogene of Western North America
Juan Liu, Professor
Integrative Biology
Applications for Fall 2026 are closed for this project.
During the Late Cretaceous period, the North American Rocky Mountain region was once part of a lost island continent called Laramidia. The eastern coastline of this landmass preserves a rich and understudied record of sharks, rays, and bony fish from the late Mesozoic and early Cenozoic Eras. The most diverse and fossiliferous localities from Laramidia are microvertebrate sites, which preserve the tiny remains of many vertebrate groups and capture the relative abundance of entire ecosystems.
Despite being useful resources for paleontologists, these microvertebrates have been largely sidelined in the paleontological literature. The collections of the University of California Museum of Paleontology (UCMP) contain tens of thousands of these scientifically important microvertebrate fish fossils, which have significant potential to address questions on the response of vertebrates to climate and tectonic changes.
Role: The apprentice will assist with sorting, counting, and identifying microvertebrate fish specimens from the UCMP collections to reconstruct freshwater and brackish ecosystems of the Cretaceous and Paleogene Periods. The apprentice will be trained by the supervisor in how to identify fossils, extract occurrence data, and aid in the curation of specimens for the museum
Qualifications: The candidate must be willing to learn and take instructions. Reliable, organized, communicative, and curious candidates are preferred. All science majors will be considered, and curiosity in fossils, the Mesozoic Era, fish, and larger questions of ecosystems will be appreciated.
Day-to-day supervisor for this project: Joel Crothers, PhD Student , Graduate Student
Hours: to be negotiated
Related website: https://ib.berkeley.edu/labs/liu/
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