معرفی
Dr. Natasha S. Vitek is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at Stony Brook University, where she leads the Vitek Lab. Her research integrates vertebrate paleontology, evolutionary biology, and morphometrics to understand how intraspecific variation scales into macroevolutionary change over geological time.
Education:
- Ph.D. in Vertebrate Paleontology, University of Florida (2019)
Research Interests:
Dr. Vitek's work centers on two major themes:
- Fossil Record Analysis: She investigates how unbranching lineages change over 1000+ year timescales using exceptional fossil records like the Bighorn Basin, Wyoming. Her focus is on dental changes in small mammals during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (~56 million years ago).
- Modern Analogues: She studies morphological variation in extant vertebrates to develop models that help interpret fossil records, particularly focusing on how spatial variation in modern species can inform temporal variation in fossils.
Lab and Mentorship:
As Principal Investigator of the Vitek Lab, she mentors a diverse team including postdocs, PhD candidates, graduate students, and undergraduates. The lab emphasizes integrating modern genomics and morphometrics with deep-time fossil data. Notable lab members include postdoc Robert W. Burroughs and PhD candidate Alexandra Pamfilie.
