I am first and foremost a naturalist that loves observation and detective work and combine both in my research. I believes science should first and foremost be an expression of joy and creativity as we explore the wonders of the natural world and strives to maintain this ethos at the core of my research program. As first generation college student, I strive to foster a safe environment where lab members are capable of achieving their individual full potential and supporting curiosity-driven scientific exploration as a fundamentally human endeavor in which understanding the historical and philosophical underpinnings of the subject are as important as the data itself.

My lab is based in the Department of Biology and Marine Biology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where I also have affiliation with the Center for Marine Science.

My research focuses on macroevolution and paleoecology through the lens of paleontology and paleobiology, particularly in aquatic arthropods such as marine chelicerates (relatives of spiders, mites, scorpions etc.). I use phylogenetics to test the relationships of extinct organisms, and with these hypotheses of relationships I test for patterns of selectivity in macroevolutionary events such as mass extinctions. I am particularly interested in the ontogeny of arthropods and how new phenotypes arise through heterochrony.

I have published extensively on fossil horseshoe crabs and the extinct eurypterids and chasmataspidids, as well as a variety of other arthropods, evolutionary theory, and phylogenetic methodology. I am a leading proponent of the developing field of phylogenetic paleoecology and have ongoing research projects focusing on the relationship between heterochronic trends and shifts in ecology in arthropods, the fauna and taphonomy of the Big Hill Lagerstätte, and the Devonian of the Appalachian Basin and the Late Devonian extinction.

I am actively recruiting graduate students. Please contact me if you are interested in applying.

Interested students with a biosciences background can apply for the Biology or Marine Biology MS and Integrative, Comparative and Marine Biology PhD offered through the Department of Biology and Marine Biology, while those with a geosciences background can apply for the Marine Science MS and Applied Coastal and Ocean Sciences PhD offered through the Center for Marine Science.

RESEARCH

My research combines primary paleontological data with macroevolutionary theory to explore the interrelationship of evolution and ecology in deep time. I have particular expertise in Paleozoic arthropods, including eurypterids and horseshoe crabs.

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Lamsdell lab

The paleontology lab is constructed around a central work space for specimen study with microscopes and camera stand for specimen imaging. Alongside preparation and computing equipment, the lab hosts cabinets for safe specimen storage.

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