Faculty & Staff Directory
Mark D. Uhen
- Chair, Atmospheric, Oceanic and Earth Sciences
- Professor, Geology
Contact Info
- Name
- Dr. Mark D. Uhen
- Job Title
- Chair, Atmospheric, Oceanic and Earth SciencesProfessor, Geology
- Website
- Phone Number
- Office Number
- George Mason University AOES Geology277A Research Hall, MSN: 6C5
Affiliations
Departments
- Atmospheric, Oceanic & Earth Sciences Department (Instructional Faculty)
- Atmospheric, Oceanic & Earth Sciences Department (Administrative Faculty)
- Atmospheric, Oceanic & Earth Sciences Department (Administrative Faculty)
- ()
Research Areas
- Paleontology
Education
PhD, Geology, University of Michigan (1996)
MS, Geology, University of Michigan (1993)
About
I am an Associate Professor of Geology at George Mason University, and Associate Chair of the Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Earth Sciences. Previous to working at Mason, he was Curator of Paleontology at the Alabama Museum of Natural History, and Head of Research and Collections at Cranbrook Institute of Science. Dr. Uhen is also a Research Associate at the United States National Museum of Natural History, and the Chair of the Executive Committee of the Paleobiology Database.
Current Research
My research focuses on the origin and evolution of cetaceans (whales and dolphins), major evolutionary transitions in general, functional morphology, use of stratigraphic data in phylogenetic analysis, and theoretical aspects of diversification. He has published many papers in scientific journals, contributed chapters to edited books, co-authored a book on the evolution of whales, and presented at numerous scientific conferences.
Teaching Focus
My teaching focuses on the fossil record of vertebrates, and the evolution of life and the surface of the earth.
Selected Publications
- (Close et al., 2019; Lockwood et al., 2018; Marx et al., 2016; Nelson and Uhen, 2020; Peredo et al., 2018a; Peredo et al., 2017; Peredo et al., 2018b)
- Close, R. A., Benson, R. B. J., Alroy, J., Behrensmeyer, A. K., Benito, J., Carrano, M. T., Cleary, T. J., Dunne, E. M., Mannion, P. D., Uhen, M. D., and Butler, R. J., 2019, Diversity dynamics of Phanerozoic terrestrial tetrapods at the local-community scale: Nature Ecology & Evolution.
- Lockwood, R., Cohen, P. A., Uhen, M. D., and Ryker, K., 2018, Utilizing the Paleobiology Database to Provide Educational Opportunities for Undergraduates: Elements of Paleontology, p. 1-22.
- Marx, F. G., Lambert, O., and Uhen, M. D., 2016, Cetacean Paleobiology, Oxford, Wiley Blackwell, Topics In Paleobiology, 319 p.:
- Nelson, M. D., and Uhen, M. D., 2020, A new platanistoid Perditicetus yaconensis gen. et sp. nov. (Cetacea, Odontoceti) from the Chattian–Aquitanian Nye Formation of Oregon: Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, p. 1-21.
- Peredo, C. M., Pyenson, N. D., Marshall, C. D., and Uhen, M. D., 2018a, Tooth loss precedes the origin of baleen in whales: Current Biology, v. 28, p. 1-9.
- Peredo, C. M., Pyenson, N. D., Uhen, M. D., and Marshall, C. D., 2017, Alveoli, teeth, and tooth loss: Understanding the homology of internal mandibular structures in mysticete cetaceans: PLoS One, v. 12, no. 5, p. e0178243.
- Peredo, C. M., Uhen, M. D., and Nelson, M. D., 2018b, A new kentriodontid (Cetacea: Odontoceti) from the early Miocene Astoria Formation and a revision of the stem delphinidan family Kentriodontidae: Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, v. 38, no. 2, p. e1411357.
When Whales Walked
Contact Info
- Name
- Dr. Mark D. Uhen
- Job Title
- Chair, Atmospheric, Oceanic and Earth SciencesProfessor, Geology
- Website
- Phone Number
- Office Number
- George Mason University AOES Geology277A Research Hall, MSN: 6C5