Sarah Longo

Sarah Longo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Towson University (College of Sciences and Mathematics). She holds a Ph.D. in Population Biology from the University of California, Davis, and a B.A. in Biology from Cornell University. Her research integrates evolution, biomechanics, and functional morphology to study ecologically relevant traits across vertebrates and invertebrates.

• Current position: Assistant Professor, Towson University
• Education: Ph.D. (UC Davis), B.A. (Cornell)
• Primary research areas: Evolutionary morphology, ultrafast biological movements, LaMSA mechanisms

Her work focuses on systems utilizing latch-mediated spring actuation (LaMSA), which spans diverse organisms like snapping crustaceans, seahorse relatives, and even plants. She employs phylogenetic comparative methods, high-speed videography, and micro-CT scanning to analyze trade-offs in elastic systems. Recent publications highlight the evolution of feeding structures in fishes, biomechanics of crustacean snapping, and the unification of terminology for spring-actuated mechanisms across disciplines.

• 2023: Geometric latches in ultrafast movements (Journal of Experimental Biology)
• 2021: Amphipod snapping mechanics (Current Biology)
• 2019: LaMSA framework proposal (Journal of Experimental Biology)
• 2018: Snipefish feeding biomechanics (Proceedings of the Royal Society B)

Dr. Longo’s teaching portfolio includes courses like Evolution, Vertebrate Morphology, and Introduction to Cellular Biology. Her lab at Towson University emphasizes interdisciplinary research bridging evolutionary biology and biomechanics, with ongoing projects on ultrafast feeding mechanisms in marine organisms and the morphological diversity of the hyoid apparatus.