Anne Kort

Anne Kort is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Michigan, and a Michigan Society of Fellows Postdoctoral Scholar. Her research focuses on the interplay between environmental change and locomotor adaptations in mammals, particularly during the Paleogene. She uses 3D scanning of fossils to analyze vertebral morphology and combines computational models with paleoenvironmental data to understand evolutionary responses to climate shifts. Kort’s academic background includes a Ph.D. from Indiana University (2023) and a B.S. from the University of Minnesota (2016). She is also active in public engagement through a YouTube channel (@VirtPaleo), offering tutorials on 3D fossil data analysis tools.

Education:

• Ph.D., Geological Sciences, Indiana University (2023)
• M.S., Geological Sciences, Indiana University (2019)
• B.S., Earth Sciences, University of Minnesota (2016)

Research Interests
Her work bridges paleontology, biomechanics, and computational modeling to explore how mammals adapted to environmental transitions. Key topics include:

• Lumbar vertebrae evolution and functional morphology
• 3D scanning and digital paleontology
• Simulation of long-term ecological and evolutionary dynamics

Her computational models integrate landscape evolution with population dynamics to study locomotor adaptation over deep time.

Grants & Outreach
Kort emphasizes open-access science, developing educational resources for researchers and enthusiasts. She collaborates with national monuments like John Day Fossil Beds to optimize fossil inventory practices using GIS technology.