Margaret Fraiser

Margaret Fraiser is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), where she also serves as the Undergraduate Adviser and Education & Outreach Coordinator for the Paleontological Society. Her work focuses on understanding mass extinctions, climate change, and the transition between the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras. She holds a PhD and MS from the University of Southern California and a BS from the University of Georgia.

Her research interests include the Permo-Triassic mass extinction, Triassic ecological restructuring, the late Paleozoic Ice Age, and the environmental consequences of climate shifts. She has contributed to studies in South China, Argentina, Tasmania, and other regions, analyzing sedimentology, paleoecology, and geochemistry to reconstruct ancient environments.

Dr. Fraiser teaches courses such as Historical Geology, Ocean Sciences, and field-based seminars on Paleobiology and Climate. She is an Associate Editor for the journal PALAIOS and participates in interdisciplinary initiatives like the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies Advisory Committee. Her awards include the 2011 UWM Graduate School Research Award and the 2010-2011 Teaching Excellence Award.

Her recent publications (2006–2014) explore topics ranging from post-extinction biotic recovery to glacial dynamics during the late Paleozoic Ice Age. These studies highlight her expertise in linking geological records with broader environmental and evolutionary processes.