Ashley Dineen

Ashley Dineen serves as a Senior Museum Scientist (Invertebrates) at the University of California Museum of Paleontology (UCMP), University of California, Berkeley, where she conducts research on paleocommunity dynamics and environmental disturbances.

Her academic background includes:

• B.S. in Geosciences from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
• M.S. in Geosciences from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
• Ph.D. in Geosciences from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
• Postdoctoral research at the California Academy of Sciences

Dr. Dineen's work centers on quantifying food web structures and trait space dynamics in marine paleocommunities during mass extinctions and climate transitions. Her fieldwork spans China, Italy, Argentina, and Western U.S. sites, with publications emphasizing functional diversity and ecological resilience. Recent articles (2019-2023) reveal consistent focus on marine fossil ecosystems—from Arctic Alaska gastropods to Pleistocene whale barnacles—and the ecological impacts of invasive species and extinction events across geological periods.

She holds leadership roles in the Paleontological Society, having chaired the Cordilleran Section (2020-2024) and currently leading the Collections Committee (since 2025). Based at UCMP's Valley Life Sciences Building, she contributes to research collections while engaging in global paleontological collaborations.