Our Experts
Derek Briggs
Director of Yale’s Peabody Museum of Natural History
Frederick William Beinecke Professor of Geology and Geophysics
As a world-renowned paleobiologist, Derek Briggs' primary research interest is in the preservation and evolutionary significance of exceptionally preserved fossil ecosystems. He employs a range of approaches from experimental work on the factors controlling decay and fossilization, through studies of early specimen mineralization and organic preservation, to field work on a range of extraordinary fossil occurrences and their taxonomic description and analysis.
Briggs' work has revolutionized the information available about soft tissues of ancient fossilized animals and created a visual record of the evolution of life on earth.
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Derek Briggs: Department of Geology and Geophysics
Audio
Fossils of soft-bodied aquatic animals analyzed
Found: Missing link in Origin of Scorpion Claws
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Derek Briggs Appointed Next Director of Yale's Peabody Museum of Natural History
480 Million-Year-Old Fossil Sheds Light on 150-Year-Old Paleontological Mystery
Fossil Feathers Preserve Evidence of Color, Say Yale Scientists
Michael J. Donoghue
G. Evelyn Hutchinson Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Former Director, Peabody Museum of Natural History (2003-2008) Vice President for West Campus Planning and Program Development
An expert in plant diversity and evolution, Michael Donoghue has a particular interest in the early evolutionary history of flowering plants. Much of his research focuses on the interrelatedness and separation of plant species, ways of classifying plant families, and comparisons between plant species with similar traits but divergent evolutionary histories. After a distinguished tenure as director of Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale President Richard Levin asked Donoghue to lead the development of the West Campus, a 136-acre complex with laboratories, offices, and warehouses acquired by the University in 2007.
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Michael J. Donoghue: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Audio
Charles Darwin, the Tree of Life
Adaptation of Plants to Climate Change
Plants That Reproduce Rapidly Evolve Rapidly
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Yale Names Vice President for New West Campus
Biodiversity Expert Named New Director of Peabody
Richard O. Prum
William Robertson Coe Professor of Ornithology Chairman, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Curator of Vertebrate Zoology, Peabody Museum of Natural History
As an evolutionary ornithologist, Richard Prum investigates how evolution informs the behavior, feathers, color sensation, and historical distribution of birds. His research has taken him around the world, from Madagascar to China, to study living birds and fossils. Among other accomplishments, his work has provided new insight into the evolutionary process that led to the development of the diverse types of feathers seen in birds today. He has also created new tools for scientists to understand how birds—and closely-related reptiles—perceive color.
Webpage
Richard O. Prum: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Audio
Birds as Living Dinosaurs
Related Articles
Yale Aging Expert and Evolutionary Biologist Receive “Genius” Grants
Prum is designated the Coe Professor
Researchers solve riddle of what makes some mammals have skin that shines a brilliant blue
Laurie Santos
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology
Despite her youth—she received her Ph.D from Harvard in 2003—Laurie Santos’s innovative insight into the evolutionary history and mechanisms behind human behavior has already marked her as a leader in the fields of evolutionary biology, developmental psychology, and cognitive neuroscience. By comparing human cognitive traits with those of some of our primate cousins—mostly rhesus monkeys, capuchin monkeys, and lemurs—she has demonstrated how evolutionary history informs everyday economic and social reasoning and decision-making. The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Economist, and other publications have featured her work, and Popular Science recently included her in its annual list of ten brilliant young scientists.
Webpage
Laurie Santos: Department of Psychology
Audio
Monkey Economics: Hard-Wired Consuming Behavior
Related Articles
Junior Faculty Win Awards in Support of Their Research
Humans Rational and Irrational Buying Behavior Is Mirrored in Monkeys
