Principal Investigator

Pedro L. Godoy

Assistant Professor, Department of Zoology, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo (Brazil)

I am a paleontologist and evolutionary biologist working on the evolution of vertebrates in deep time. Apart from an Assistant Professor at the University of São Paulo (Department of Zoology, Institute of Bioscience), I am also an honorary researcher affiliated with Dr. Alan Turner’s lab (at Stony Brook University, USA), as well as the current Phylogenetics Editor of the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. My research interests include macroevolution, systematics and paleobiology of amniotes (reptiles and mammals) and other vertebrates.

Postdocs

Thayara S. Carrasco

I am a biologist and a PhD in Biodiversity. My research is primarily focused on the ecology of terrestrial, semi-aquatic, and marine mammals, whether extinct or extant. Currently, I have been applying the knowledge acquired throughout my academic career on functional diversity analyses, which is the theme of my postdoctoral project, aiming to understand the ecological consequences of the extinction of South American terrestrial megafauna.

Daniel Martins dos Santos

BSc in Geology, MSc in Paleobiology and Biostratigraphy, and PhD in Zoology from the University of Brasília. I dedicate myself to the study of the anatomy, paleoecology, and systematics of fossil crocodyliforms from the Bauru and Sanfranciscana basins. I have experience in collecting various fossil groups (ichnofossils, microfossils, invertebrates & vertebrates) in sedimentary basins in the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso, São Paulo, and Minas Gerais. Currently, my research focuses on the ontogeny of Baurusuchidae and Peirosauridae.

Undergrad students

Ana Clara de Moraes G. Annes

I am an undergrad student in Biology at the Univeristy of São Paulo. I am very interested in crocodylian biology and conservation and I am currently working on a project that involves using a conservation paleobiology approach on the group. Project funded by the University of São Paulo.

Fernanda Dias Paes Landim

I am an undergrad student in Biology at the Univeristy of São Paulo, with a deep interest in the mass extinctions of the South American megafauna. Currently, I am working on a project that investigates the extinction patterns of sloths (Folivora) throughout the group's entire evolutionary history. Project funded by FAPESP.

Pedro Kenji Ishizaki Ferreira

I am an undergrad student in Biology at the University of São Paulo, primarily interested in comparative anatomy of living and extinct reptilian lineages, particularly pseudosuchians. I am currently working on the taxonomy and systematics of a crocodylomorph specimen.

Gabriela Karam Gama

I am an undergrad Biology student at the University of São Paulo (IB-USP). I am interested in the evolutionary origin of both the snake total-group and crown snakes (Serpentes), and I intend to work with phylogenetic analyses and divergence time estimations using the fossil record.

Juliana Takahashi Machado

I am an undergrad student at the University of São Paulo, and I have a huge interest in the evolution and ecology of South American mammalian paleofauna. Currently, my research focuses on extinct and extant rodent species from the Pleistocene of southeastern Brazil.