Jacqueline Lungmus

Jacqueline Lungmus serves as Assistant Professor in the School of Geosciences at the University of Oklahoma and Assistant Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History. Her research investigates the deep evolutionary origins of mammalian diversity through synapsid lineage analysis spanning over 310 million years of tetrapod history.

Education:

• Ph.D., University of Chicago, 2020
• M.Sc., University of Chicago, 2016

Lungmus specializes in Biotic Earth History, Macroevolution, and Paleobiology, employing linear and geometric morphometric analyses of appendicular skeletons to pinpoint the geological timing of functional diversity in extinct and extant tetrapods. Her work demonstrates that synapsid morphological radiation began far earlier than previously recognized, during Permian and Carboniferous periods.

Analysis of her 2018-2021 publications reveals consistent focus on mammalian anatomical evolution using quantitative fossil analysis. Key themes include the antiquity of forelimb ecomorphological diversity in synapsids, taphonomic effects on morphometric studies, and evolutionary patterns in vertebral regionalization across deep time.

As Assistant Curator, she actively manages and researches vertebrate fossil collections at the Sam Noble Museum, supporting both academic research and public paleontological education initiatives through museum resources.