Principal Investigator
Kelly K.S. Matsunaga, Ph.D.
Thomas N. Taylor Asst. Professor, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
Asst. Curator of Paleobotany, Biodiversity Institute
University of Kansas
I am a botanist who studies the fossil record and evolutionary history of plants. My interests are broad and include palms🌴, conifers🌲, lycopods, plant morphology/anatomy/development, and phylogenetics. Please feel free to contact me to find out more about our research, research opportunities in my lab, or if you have questions about our paleobotanical collections.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
EDUCATION
ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS
2015 - 2019
University of Michigan
Ph.D. Earth & Environmental Sciences
2020 - present
Thomas N. Taylor Asst. Professor & Curator of Paleobotany
University of Kansas
2013 - 2014
Humboldt State University
M.S. Biology
2019 - 2020
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Chicago Botanic Garden
2007 - 2012
Humboldt State University
B.S. Botany
2019 - 2020
Research Affiliate
Field Museum of Natural History
KU Paleobotany Community
Lab Members
Austin Nguyen
Ph.D. Student
NSF Graduate Research Fellow
Research areas: Evo-devo, developmental gene expression in conifers, conifer seed cone evolution
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Morgan Mathison
Ph.D. Student
KU Chancellor's Fellow
Research areas: Conifer phylogeny and fossil record
Lab Alumni
Kelly Pfeiler, Ph.D.
Former Ph.D. student
Now an Assistant Professor of Biology at Austin Peay State University
Keana Tang, Ph.D.
Former Ph.D. Student
Now postdoc at the University of Vienna
Ana
Andruchow-Colombo, Ph.D.
Former Postdoctoral Research Associate
Now a Humboldt Fellow at the University of Munster