معرفی
Jonathan Bloch is a paleontologist and curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida. He was appointed chair of the Department of Natural History in August 2018, overseeing 30 faculty curators and managing $65 million in external research grants. His work focuses on vertebrate fossils, evolutionary biology, and biodiversity, with studies on ancient mammals, crocodilians, and primates.
Bloch's research explores the evolutionary transitions in primates and crocodiles, including discoveries like 55-million-year-old primate skulls and 10-million-year-old porcupine fossils. He collaborates on projects involving climate change impacts on prehistoric ecosystems and leads initiatives to digitize collections via NSF grants. His team includes graduate students like María Vallejo-Pareja, Natasha Vitek, and Rachel Narducci, who contribute to fieldwork and publications.
- Co-authored over 90 professional publications
- Recipient of National Science Foundation grants for specimen preparation and collections infrastructure
- Leadership in documenting biodiversity and cultural heritage through collections-based research
Bloch emphasizes leveraging past successes to enhance interactive research programs, despite reduced personal fieldwork due to administrative duties.
