Emma Dunne

Dr. Emma Dunne is an Assistant Professor at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, based in the Department of Geography and Geosciences. Her research focuses on understanding how environmental, climatic, and socio-economic factors shape vertebrate biodiversity through deep time. She is particularly renowned for her work on fossil vertebrates, including dinosaurs and squamates, and her critical analyses of colonial legacies in paleontological research. Dunne co-leads the Pal(a)eoscientometrics Research Collective, addressing systemic biases in scientific practices.

Her research integrates quantitative methods from paleobiology, phylogenetics, and ecology to explore large-scale evolutionary patterns. Notable projects include studies on climate-driven dinosaur evolution, sampling biases in the fossil record, and ethical challenges in global data equity. Dunne also advocates for inclusive academic publishing and field safety guidelines.

Her work has been featured in high-impact journals like Nature Ecology & Evolution, Current Biology, and Paleobiology, and she actively contributes to public science communication through social media and outreach. Dunne serves on the executive committee of the Paleobiology Database, further emphasizing her commitment to advancing open science.

Her advising spans topics from cetacean latitudinal diversity to morphological disparity in cave bears, reflecting her interdisciplinary approach. She collaborates internationally, fostering equity in data access and challenging historical colonialist practices in paleontology.