Christy Anna HipsleyView profile
Associate Professor
Christy Anna Hipsley is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. She holds a joint appointment in the Ecology and Evolution section, with research spanning evolutionary biology, vertebrate paleontology, and herpetology. Her work integrates multiple disciplines through advanced imaging techniques and computational approaches to study morphological evolution across 500 million years of vertebrate history. Her primary research interests include evolutionary biology, vertebrate paleontology, herpetology, phenotypic convergence, and 3D shape analysis. She specializes in using X-ray computed tomography to generate three-dimensional models of fossil and living organisms for evolutionary comparison, often applying geometric morphometrics to diverse groups including primates, canids, marine mammals, marsupials, turtles, and reptiles. Her work specifically examines how Cenozoic climate change has shaped morphological and taxonomic variation, and identifies contexts where biodiversity is generated and destroyed. Dr. Hipsley's recent publications demonstrate a strong interdisciplinary approach, combining traditional morphological studies with computational methods. Her work spans from detailed anatomical studies of reptiles to collaborations with computer scientists on diffusion modeling techniques. This reflects her commitment to integrating bioinformatic, molecular, ecological, paleoclimatic, and morphological approaches in evolutionary research. Selected Awards: Danmarks Frie Forskningsfond (DFF) Project 1 (2,847,513 DKK) Villum Synergy Grant on Stochastic Morphometry (2,140,000 DKK) ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (1,650,697 DKK) Dean's Award for Excellence in Research (Team), University of Melbourne Dr. Hipsley has supervised numerous graduate students across multiple institutions including the University of Copenhagen, Monash University, and the University of Melbourne. She serves as a Senior Editorial Board Member for BMC Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and reviews for numerous prestigious journals including Nature Communications, Science Advances, and Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. Her international collaborations span Germany, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, and India, reflecting the global nature of her research program. She is also an active participant in science outreach, having contributed to children's science TV shows, podcasts, and public exhibits.
