Charles R. Marshall

Charles R. Marshall is the Philip Sandford Boone Chair in Paleontology and Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of California, Berkeley. He serves as Director of the University of California Museum of Paleontology (UCMP) and Chair of the Berkeley Natural History Museums (BNHMs). His research focuses on deep-time evolutionary biology, integrating fossil and genomic data to understand life's evolution, extinction dynamics, and morphological innovation. He holds a joint appointment in Earth and Planetary Sciences.

Research Interests: Dr. Marshall explores processes shaping long-term evolution, including mass extinctions, biodiversity dynamics, and the origins of animal body plans. His work combines epistemological tools with interdisciplinary approaches, such as molecular phylogenetics and fluid dynamics analysis of fossilized structures. He emphasizes collaboration across institutions and disciplines, leveraging museum collections and computational models.

Key Contributions: Notable projects include quantifying Tyrannosaurus rex population size, analyzing extinction pulses, and evaluating timetree methodologies. He co-authored influential studies on the Cambrian Explosion and the Red Queen hypothesis in mammalian extinctions. His work bridges paleobiology with conservation science to address modern ecological challenges.

Awards: Recipient of the 2023 Paleontological Society Pojeta Award. His leadership roles include directing major initiatives like the Eastern Pacific Invertebrate Communities of the Cenozoic (EPICC) project, advancing global biodiversity documentation.