Our Lab & Friends
Meet the Mammalian Evolution and Paleobiology Lab and our collaborators
The Team
Dr. Matthew F. Jones
Principal Investigator
I'm an evolutionary biologist and vertebrate paleontologist interested in the origins and diversification of placental mammals during the early Paleogene Period. Much of my research takes place on small mammal lineages, including bats, primatomorphs, and various "insectivore" groups.
PhD Student
I'm an evolutionary biology PhD student interested in placental mammal evolution during the early Cenozoic. I am currently working on small insectivores with uncertain Eutherian placement. I am also a collaborator with the ASU Biocollections assessing (extant) small mammal recovery in recently burned desert habitats.
PhD Student
I'm an evolutionary biology PhD student interested in understanding the fossil history and radiation of small insectivorous mammal lineages during the Cenozoic era. My research focuses on describing and inferring the paleobiology of fossil eulipotyphlans (shrews, moles, hedgehogs, and solenodons).
Jaime Johnson
Research Affiliate
I’m a recent Arizona State University graduate (M.S., Biology) with broad interests in animal behavior and feeding ecology. In the Jones Lab, I study Eocene African bats using dental anatomy, geometric morphometrics, and phylogenetic systematics to test a proposed synonymy between Aegyptonycteris knightae and Ghamidtherium dimaiensis. I also assist with mammal sampling in the field. In parallel, my other work examines learning in reptiles—Gila monsters—using a spatial maze and a multistep problem-solving puzzle, and I collaborate with AZGFD on projects in invasive species biology.
Sarah Jessica Piersanti
Master's Student
I'm a graduate student with interests in vertebrate morphology and paleontology with background research and experiences involving carnivoran myology. My current project aims to explore middle ear osteological correlates of echolocation in extant bats to better understand the echolocating abilities of fossil bats.
Shelby Roberts
Undergraduate Researcher; Barrett College Fellow
I am pursuing my undergraduate degree in Ocean Futures with a minor in English Literature. I am assisting in research as part of this lab through the Barrett College Fellows Program. My interests include marine biology, paleontology, oceanography, anthropology, evolution, and more - I'm trying to narrow it down! I see myself becoming a scientific writer who condenses complex concepts and communicates them to the general public in order to combat misinformation.
Ally Wilson
Undergraduate Researcher; Barrett College Fellow
I’m an undergraduate student studying biological sciences. I am interested in going into the paleobiology field and relating it to the conservation of extant animal species.
Lab Alumni
Former members of the Mammalian Evolution and Paleobiology lab who have since moved on to bigger and better things.
ASU Friends & Collaborators
Labs and individuals we collaborate with throughout Arizona State University.
Other external collaborators
Professor and Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology, University of Kansas Natural History Museum & Biodiversity Institute
Curator of Mammals, American Museum of Natural History
Andy Schauf
Institut Pertanian Bogor, Bogor, Indonesia
Vertebrate Paleontology Collection Manager, University of Kansas Natural History Museum & Biodiversity Institute
Xijun Ni
Professor, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology and Chinese Academy of Sciences
Professor and Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology, University of Colorado Museum of Natural History
Professor, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Professor, University of New South Wales
PhD student, University of Chicago