Patrick Arnold

Patrick Arnold is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam. His research integrates genomics, comparative morphology, paleontology, and phylogenetic modeling to study vertebrate evolution, particularly focusing on Afrotheria, mammalian neck evolution, and limb bone adaptation.

• PhD in Zoology (2018), University of Jena/Max Planck Institute
• MSc in Evolutionary Biology (2014), University of Jena
• BSc in Biology (2012), University of Jena

His work explores the evolutionary history of Afrotherians, the constraints on mammalian cervical vertebrae count, and locomotor adaptation in tetrapods. Recent studies investigate Macroscelidea phylogeny, cervical spine mechanics in sloths, and the role of Hox genes in vertebral regionalization.

Arnold contributes to teaching in general zoology, comparative morphology, and evolutionary biology methods. He is associated with the Evolutionary Adaptive Genomics Group, collaborating on projects funded by the ERC, DFG, and Klaus Tschira Foundation.