New Geology Faculty Member

New Faculty Member Brings Vertebrate Paleontology Expertise to AOES

Starting Fall, 2009, Dr. Mark D. Uhen joins the faculty of George Mason University as an Assistant Term Professor.  Dr. Uhen earned a PhD in Geology at the University of Michigan in 1996.  Recent positions include Curator of Paleontology at the Alabama Museum of Natural History, and Research Associate at the United States National Museum of Natural History.

Dr. Uhen's research specialty is in the evolution of cetaceans (whales and dolphins) and other marine mammals.  His scientific work extends from discovering and describing fossils of extinct species of whales to explaining how the evolution of whales can be understood in terms of the changing environment of the seas over the past few tens of millions of years.  His interests take him from field work near the Pacific coast of South America to the World Wide Web where he is helping to build a database on the global cetacean fossil record. Dr. Uhen is excited by Mason's proximity to the world-class fossil collections of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, which offers increased opportunities for his own research and the chance offer Mason students first hand exposure to important vertebrate fossils.