Richard L. Cifelli

Last updated
Richard L. Cifelli
Born1954 (age 70–71)
Centralia, Washington, United States
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater Colby College, University of Chicago, Columbia University
Known forResearch on early mammals and vertebrates of the Cretaceous
Scientific career
FieldsBiology, Vertebrate paleontology
Institutions University of Oklahoma

Richard Lawrence Cifelli (born 1954) is an American biology professor and curator of vertebrate paleontology at the College of Biology at the University of Oklahoma, United States. [1]

Contents

Biography

Education

He began his studies in the Department of Sociology at Colby College in Maine, United States, graduating in 1976 magna cum laude. He then entered the Department of Anthropology at the University of Chicago. Upon graduation in 1979, he joined the Department of Geological Sciences at Columbia University, earning a Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) in December 1979 and a PhD in 1983. [1]

Career

Cifelli's professional path reflects a long career. Between his first position as an archaeologist at the University of Alaska (1974) and his current role as a presidential professor at the University of Oklahoma, he has worked in numerous U.S. museums as researcher, consultant, curator, and more. [1]

His recent work focuses on the systematics and paleobiology of terrestrial vertebrates, primarily mammals, from the Cretaceous of the United States. [1]

Paleontological discoveries

Skull of Nesodon imbricatus, a notoungulate mammal studied by Cifelli. Nesodon imbricatus.JPG
Skull of Nesodon imbricatus, a notoungulate mammal studied by Cifelli.

Professor Cifelli is credited with numerous discoveries concerning early mammals, notably from the Cretaceous. His work on functional morphology and systematics of Notoungulata representatives has contributed to improved classification and understanding of these taxa. He continues to lead extensive specimen collection and research programs at the University of Oklahoma. [1]

Teaching

Cifelli teaches multiple subjects, including geophysics, vertebrate paleobiology, and vertebrate evolution. He also offers courses on the age of dinosaurs and an introduction to astronomy and geology. He regularly participates in lectures and conferences. [1]

Publications

He has authored or co-authored around fifty journal articles. He is also cited in a book chapter on the evolution and extinction of South American ungulates. [2]

Books

Awards

He has received recognition for his work on early mammals and other Cretaceous vertebrates in 1994 [3] and at the 55th annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology in Pittsburgh [4] .

Languages

Professor Cifelli is multilingual. In addition to English, he speaks Portuguese, Spanish, French, and reads German. [1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Kielan-Jaworowska, Zofia (2013). "Introduction". In Pursuit of Early Mammals. Indiana University Press. p. 253.
  2. ↑ Cifelli, Richard L. (1985). "South American ungulate evolution and extinction". In Francis G. Stehli; S. David Webb (eds.). The Great American Biotic Interchange. Topics in Geobiology. Vol. 4. Springer. pp. 249–266. doi:10.1007/978-1-4684-9181-4_9.
  3. ↑ National Science Foundation: Early Cretaceous Mammals and Other Microvertebrates. April 15, 1994 to April 14, 1997, $139,514
  4. ↑ Evidence of tooth replacement in Alphadon based in CT scans, presented at 55th Annual Meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, Pittsburgh, 3 November 1995.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.