James Napoli

James Napoli is a Research Instructor in the Department of Anatomical Sciences at Stony Brook University. He is a vertebrate paleontologist and evolutionary biologist whose work focuses on intraspecific trait variation as a mechanism driving vertebrate evolution.

• Education
  • PhD, Richard Gilder Graduate School (2022)
  • MS, Stony Brook University (2018)
  • BSc, Brown University (2017)

Dr. Napoli’s research integrates fossil records with modern biological data to study the ontogeny, systematics, taxonomy, and comparative anatomy of reptiles, particularly crocodylians and theropod dinosaurs. His work addresses the long-standing "ontogeny problem" in paleontology, where growth-related anatomical changes within species can confound species identification in the fossil record. He employs cutting-edge methodologies such as micro-computed tomography, synchrotron tomography, 3D surface scanning, and multivariate Bayesian statistics to analyze trait variation and develop new frameworks for fossil specimen classification.

Current research initiatives include investigations into pennaraptoran dinosaurs (e.g., Velociraptor), tyrannosaurid dinosaurs (e.g., T. rex), and both extant and extinct crocodylians. These studies aim to redefine understanding of dinosaur growth patterns and species diversity through ontogenetic trait analysis.