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Robert R. Reisz

Professor, FLS & FRSC

PhD, McGill University

Phone
905-828-3981
Office
DV 3005
Email
robert.reisz@utoronto.ca

Prospective Students

I am currently accepting MSc and PhD students. Interested applicants should send a CV, an unofficial transcript along with a cover letter summarizing their research interests, academic background, and skills. Please check my lab website for additional details.

Research

Vertebrate Paleontology. During much of my career I have studied the evolution of terrestrial vertebrates with a focus on the origin of amniotes, their anatomy, phylogeny and ecology. Paleozoic amniotes not only record the first successful adaptation of vertebrates to a fully terrestrial mode of life, but are also at the base of subsequent adaptive radiations that eventually gave rise to modern reptiles, birds and mammals. These fossils therefore provide a unique opportunity for studies of the origin and evolutionary radiation of all amniotes.

I have also studied the anatomy, embryology and growth, and evolutionary relationships of a variety of other vertebrates, including lungfish, dissorophoid amphibians, diadectomorph tetrapods, and basal dinosaurs.