Assistant Professor Melissa Kemp
University of Texas-Austin
My research program leverages cross-cutting interdisciplinary approaches to explore the responses of species, communities, and ecosystems to environmental changes during the Quaternary, a geological period that encompasses the last 2.6 million years and features significant climate fluctuations, human evolution, and the emergence of anthropogenic impacts to all earth systems. In this talk, I will show that by integrating data retrieved from novel paleontological excavations, museum collections, as well as the vast archaeological and natural history literature, we can elucidate significant and previously undocumented patterns of extinction, colonization, and diversification in critical systems of conservation concern. Specifically, I will describe innovative tools and methods that our lab has developed to identify and characterize fossil taxa, because trait data and accurate taxonomic identifications are foundational to characterizing biodiversity in the fossil record. Then, I will show how precise characterization of biodiversity has, in turn, led to new insights into the effects of long-term anthropogenic impacts on biodiversity, and the responses of biodiversity to environmental change. Finally, because my research program is heavily reliant on fieldwork and museum collections, I am committed to developing place-based, community-engaged research opportunities that empower people to become environmental stewards and scientists. I will briefly discuss some of the STEM education and community-engaged initiatives that I am involved in to broaden participation in the biological and geological sciences.