Science Experts

Scientists at the Academy are experts in their fields. They have broad knowledge of their subjects and detailed knowledge of their specialty. The media is welcome to interview the scientists below for stories about their research and related issues.

Interviews can be conducted in person, by e-mail, by phone, or by SKYPE. To arrange an interview, contact Carolyn Belardo at belardo@ansp.org, or 215 299-1043.

Watershed and Aquatic Ecology Issues

The Academys Patrick Center for Environmental Research is dedicated to understanding, protecting, and restoring the health of watersheds.

David Velinsky, Ph.D.

Vice President, Patrick Center for Environmental Research
Expertise: Fate and transport of chemical and other contaminants in water systems, especially in estuaries near urban centers.
CV

Clyde E. Goulden, Ph.D.

Director, Asia Center
Expertise: Climate change impacts in ecosystems of Northeast Asia; biomonitoring of freshwater systems; capacity building of young scientists in developing countries.
CV

Donald Charles, Ph.D.

Senior Scientist, Phycology
Expertise: Ecology of freshwater diatoms and their use as indicators to assess current and past environmental conditions.
CV

Richard Horwitz, Ph.D.

Ruth Patrick Chair and Senior Scientist, Fisheries
Expertise: Reproductive ecology, life history and distribution of freshwater fishes; effects of land use on species.
CV

Jerry Mead, Ph.D.

Assistant Scientist and Section Leader, Watershed and Systems Ecology
Expertise: Aquatic ecology and ecological and biophysical economics.
CV

Tracy Elsey Quirk, Ph.D.

Ruth Patrick Scholar
Expertise: Effects of climate change on coastal ecosystems and wetlands ecology.
CV

Marina Potapova, Ph.D.

Assistant Curator of Diatoms
Expertise: Ecology and taxonomy of freshwater diatoms and their use to monitor human impacts.
CV

Ling Ren, Ph.D.

Research Scientist
Expertise: Nutrient dynamics and their enrichment on water quality issues; human impacts on phytoplankton growth and harmful algal blooms in estuaries and coastal ecosystems.
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Barbara Rinkel, Ph.D.

Research Scientist
Expertise: Ecology and taxonomy of soft bodied freshwater algae; marine green algae.
CV

Mihaela Enache, Ph.D.

Research Scientist
Expertise: Assessing human impacts on ecosystems by using biogeochemical indicators preserved in sediments from lakes and wetlands.
CV

Biodiversity, Evolution and Systematics Issues

The foundation of this scientific work is the Academys collection of more than 17 million plant and animal specimens used by researchers around the world.

Fossils and Paleontology

The Vertebrate Paleontology collection of about 23,000 specimens includes the first North American dinosaurs and fossils that belonged to Thomas Jefferson, Joseph Leidy, and Edward Drinker Cope.

Edward Daeschler, Ph.D.

Vice President, Center for Systematic Biology and Library; Chair and Associate Curator, Vertebrate Paleontology
Expertise: Evolution of early tetrapods, including Tiktaalik roseae, and the collecting and describing of fossils.
CV

Ned Gilmore

Collection Manager, Vertebrate Paleontology
Expertise: Late Cretaceous and Early Tertiary fossils of eastern North America.

Fish

The Ichthyology Collection of more than 1.4 million specimens is the oldest in the U.S. and is designated as an International Resource Center by the National Science Foundation.

John Lundberg, Ph.D.

Curator and Chaplin Chair, Ichthyology
Expertise: Biogeography, vertebrate morphology and paleobiology of fish, especially from South America. Co-principal of the global All Catfish Species Inventory.
CV

Mark Henry Sabaj Peréz, Ph.D.

Collection Manager, Ichthyology
Expertise: Catfishes, South American rivers and fishes, taxonomy and evolution. Co-principal of the global All Catfish Species Inventory.
CV

Insects

The Entomology Collection of about 4 million specimens is the best in the world for Orthoptera (grasshoppers, katydids, and crickets) and related insect orders (cockroaches, mantids, and walking sticks).

Jon Gelhaus, Ph.D.

Curator, Entomology
Expertise: Systematics and ecology of worldwide crane flies. Leader of the Mongolian Aquatic Insect Survey, including water quality research in Mongolia. Co-leader of New Jersey Pinelands (Pine Barrens) insect survey.
CV

Jason Weintraub

Collection Manager, Entomology
Expertise: Biogeography, ecology, and evolution of worldwide butterflies and moths.
CV

Greg Cowper

Curatorial Assistant, Entomology
Expertise: Systematics, evolution, and biogeography of Heteroptera, the true bugs; history of entomology.

Mollusks

The Malacology Collection of about 10 million specimens is the third largest in the world and the oldest in the Americas.

Gary Rosenberg, Ph.D.

Pilsbry Chair and Curator, Malacology
Expertise: Origin and magnitude of mollusk species diversity, identification of seashells worldwide, evolution of land snails in Jamaica.
CV

Paul Callomon

Collection Manager, Malacology
Expertise: Mollusks in general, specifically mollusks of Japan and its region; history of molluscan studies in Asia.
CV

Birds

The Ornithology Collection of more than 213,000 specimens is the second oldest in the U.S. and the best in the world for birds of the Andes Mountains, South America.

Nathan Rice, Ph.D.

Collection Manager, Ornithology
Expertise: Evolutionary biology of neotropical bird groups, especially antbirds and their relatives.
CV

Doug Wechsler

Director, Visual Resources in Ornithology (VIREO)
Expertise: General naturalist. Photographs and maintains one of the worlds most comprehensive collections of bird images.
CV

Plants

The Botany Collection of more than 1.5 million specimens is the oldest in the Americas.

Tatyana Livshultz, Ph.D.

Assistant Curator, Botany
Expertise: Evolution and pollination of plants, especially the milkweed and dogbane family.
CV

Rick McCourt, Ph.D.

Associate Curator, Botany
Expertise: Evolution and systematics of green algae.
CV

Alina Freire-Fierro

Collection Manager, Botany
Expertise: Neotropical plants, in particular the family Polygalaceae.
CV 

Alfred E. Schuyler, Ph.D.

Curator Emeritus, Botany
Expertise: Systematics and ecology of rare plant species, relationships between plant diversity and environmental quality, and history of botany.
CV

John Hall, Ph.D.

Post-doctoral Fellow
Expertise: Evolution and systematics of green algae.
CV

Mammals

The Mammalogy Collection of about 23,500 specimens is particularly strong in rodents, bovids, great apes and neotropical cats.

Ned Gilmore

Collection Manager, Mammalogy
Expertise: Mammals of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.

Reptiles and Amphibians

The Herpetology Collection of about 38,000 specimens is strong in early animals from the Americas.

Ned Gilmore

Collection Manager, Herpetology
Expertise: Eastern North American reptiles and amphibians.

Diatoms

The Diatom Herbarium includes about 220,000 diatom slides and 20,000 samples. It is one of the two largest in the world.

Marina Potapova, Ph.D.

Assistant Curator of Diatoms
Expertise: Ecology and taxonomy of freshwater diatoms and their use to monitor human impacts.
CV