Stephen Brusatte
MSc Candidate
Department of Earth Sciences
University of Bristol
brusatte_AT_gmail.com
S.B., Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, 2006
Marshall Scholarship Recipient, 2006-2008
Thesis Project: Basal Archosaur Phylogeny and Evolution
(M.J. Benton, G. Lloyd, and M. Ruta, advisors)
I
am currently a graduate student in the University of Bristol's one-year
MSc in Palaeobiology. Previously I was an undergraduate at the
University of Chicago, where I worked closely with Paul Sereno
on the anatomy, evolution, systematics, and phylogeny of theropod
dinosaurs. This work included the description of three new
Early-middle Cretaceous African theropods, as well as a reappraisal of
allosauroid and tyrannosauroid phylogeny. I have also worked on
Carboniferous brachiopods, Paleozoic chondrichthyans, and taxonomic
databases.
My current research interests are varied. My MSc thesis focuses
on basal archosaur phylogeny and evolution. Specifically, I am
critically analyzing published datasets, compiling a solid character
list, examining methodological issues of coding multiple suprageneric
OTUs, and looking at the completeness of the basal archosaur fossil
record and its implications for biogeography. This work is being
conducted with Mike Benton.
On the side, I am also continuing my work on dinosaur phylogeny
and systematics, particularly European basal tetanuran theropods.
I have done extensive geological and palaeontological fieldwork,
including several trips to the Morrison and Hell Creek Formations of
Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming, United States, as well as one month
exploring Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks in Tibet. For several
years I have also led a small project focusing on the Pennsylvanian
marine fossils near my home in central Illinois.
PUBLICATIONS
Peer-reviewed Papers
Brusatte, S.L. 2004. A preliminary paleoecological investigation of
Late Pennsylvanian brachiopods from the LaSalle Limestone, LaSalle
County, Illinois. The Mosasaur: Journal of the Delaware Valley
Paleontological Society, 7:19-34.
Sereno, P.C., S. McAllister, and S.L. Brusatte. 2005. TaxonSearch: a
relational database for suprageneric taxa and phylogenetic definitions.
PhyloInformatics, 8:1-21.
Submitted Manuscripts
Brusatte, S.L., and P.C. Sereno. In revision. A new species of Carcharodontosaurus (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Cenomanian of Niger and a revision of the genus. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
Brusatte, S.L., and P.C. Sereno. Submitted May 2006. Phylogeny of
Allosauroidea (Dinosauria: Theropoda): comparative analysis and
resolution. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology.
Sereno, P.C., and S.L. Brusatte. Submitted May 2006. The tyrannosaur
tree: a status report. In: Henderson, M. et al. (eds.), The Origin,
Systematics, and Paleobiology of Tyrannosauridae. Northern Illinois
University Press, DeKalb, IL.
Brusatte, S.L. Submitted August 2006. A Late Pennsylvanian
chondrichthyan fauna from the LaSalle Limestone Member (Bond Formation)
of Illinois. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie.
Brusatte, S.L., and P.C. Sereno. 2006. Submitted November 2006. Basal abelisaurid and
carcharodontosaurid theropods from the Elrhaz Formation (Aptian-Albian)
of Niger. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica.
Published Abstracts
Brusatte, S.L. 2002. A paleoecological investigation of a Late
Pennsylvanian LaSalle County outcrop using a newly-described
macroinvertebrate fossil fauna. Abstracts of the Research Finalits.
National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium, San Diego.
Brusatte, S., and P. Sereno. 2004. TaxonSearch: online database for
taxa, definitions, and authorship. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology,
24(3):42A.
Brusatte, S., and P. Sereno. 2005. A new species of Carcharodontosaurus
(Dinosauria:Theropoda) from the Cenomanian of Niger and its
implications for allosauroid phylogeny. Journal of Vertebrate
Paleontology, 25(3):40A.
Sereno, P.C, and S.L. Brusatte. 2005. Tracing the tyrannosaur tree. The
Origins, Systematics, and Paleobiology of Tyrannosauridae, A Symposium
Hosted by Burpee Museum of Natural History and Northern Illinois
University, p. 34.
Brusatte, S., and P. Sereno. 2006. Basal abelisaurid and
carcharodontosaurid theropods from the Elrhaz Formation (Aptian-Albian)
of Niger. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 26(3):46A.
Books
Brusatte, S. 2002. Stately Fossils: A Comprehensive Look at the State
Fossils and other Official Fossils. Fossil News, Boulder, CO, 234 p.