معرفی
Abagael R. West is a Teaching Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Pittsburgh, where she has taught since 2018. She holds a PhD from Columbia University earned through a joint program with the American Museum of Natural History and completed postdoctoral research at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.
Education:
- PhD, Columbia University (joint program with the American Museum of Natural History)
- Postdoctoral fellowship, Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Research interests integrate vertebrate paleontology, morphological evolution of placental mammals, and the historical biogeography of South America and Antarctica across the late Cretaceous–early Paleogene interval. A complementary thread explores evidence-based pedagogy, particularly how students learn phylogenetic “tree-thinking” and hypothesis testing.
Her recent publications (2016-2019) exhibit a clear trajectory in high-latitude Cretaceous vertebrate paleontology, morphological systematics of extinct mammals, and dental evolutionary responses to domestication and insularity. Studies range from Antarctic avian and non-avian dinosaur records to mitogenomic recovery of the extinct helmeted musk ox, highlighting both field discovery and advanced analytical techniques.
Contact: A256 Langley Hall, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260 | abw39@pitt.edu | +1 412-624-4269
