Petra Sierwald

Petra Sierwald is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Illinois Chicago and Associate Curator at the Field Museum of Natural History within the Negaunee Integrative Research Center. Her career spans systematic research, biodiversity education, and taxonomic database development.

• Ph.D. in Zoology (University of Hamburg, 1985)
• M.Sc. in Biology & Geography (University of Hamburg, 1982)

Her research focuses on evolutionary biology of arthropods, particularly Arachnida and Myriapoda, with emphasis on:

• Phylogenetic analysis of morphological characters
• Integrative taxonomy combining molecular and morphological data
• Biogeographic patterns in tropical regions
• Development of taxonomic tools and databases
• Museum collection curation methodologies
• Millipede phylogenomics and spider systematics

Publication trends highlight:

• Primary focus on Diplopoda (millipedes) and Araneae (spiders)
• Integrative approaches merging morphological and molecular data
• Significant contributions to Tropical biodiversity and Caribbean biogeography
• Development of taxonomic databases and collection digitization

Scientific contributions include:

• NSF grants for biodiversity education (DEB-09-35231, DBI-11-56594)
• NSF-TCN grant for collection digitization
• NSF-PEET grants for taxonomic training
• International collaboration on Madagascar and Caribbean biodiversity

Advising and training involves:

• Mentorship of graduate students (domestic and international)
• REU site grants for undergraduate research
• NSF-funded postdoctoral training programs
• Workshop organization for taxonomic standards

Laboratory initiatives include:

• Milli-PEET project for global millipede systematics
• Development of the first global millipede species database
• NSF-DEB funded phylogenomic research
• Collaborative work with institutions across Germany, Thailand, and Madagascar