John A Moretti

John A Moretti
B.A., Anthropology, Texas Tech University, 2004
M.S., Interdisciplinary Studies, Texas Tech University, 2018
Ph.D., Geosciences (Vertebrate Paleontology), The University of Texas at Austin, expected 2025


Supervisor


I study changes in vertebrate community composition over the past 3-5 million years in western North America. With a primary focus on the Quaternary, my research occurs at the nexus between vertebrate paleontology, zooarchaeology, and conservation biology. My work involves developing records of biodiversity and biogeography across time in order to examine patterns and processes of faunal change. I am particularly interested in the relationships between taxonomy, morphology, and the resolution of the fossil record. Much of my research explores morphological variation and the role that variation plays in influencing our taxonomic decisions and the classification of fossil remains. My research stems from my active fieldwork efforts and existing, historical collections.

Honarary Award Winner - American Federation of Mineralogical Societies Scholarship Foundation (2024 - 2025)

Science Fund award recipient - Cleveland Grotto of the National Speleological Society (2023 - 2024)

Lundelius Endowment of Vertebrate Paleontology - Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin (2023 - 2024)

Graduate Student Research Grant - Geological Society of America (2023 - 2024)

First Place award - Texas Academy of Science 2022 Research Proposal Competition - Texas Academy of Science (2022)

Francis L. Whitney Endowed Presidential Scholarship - The Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin (2021 - 2022)

Third place award in the Graduate Student Oral Paper Competition at the 124th Annual Meeting - Texas Academy of Science (2021)

Francis L. Whitney Endowed Presidential Scholarship - The Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin (2020 - 2021)

Stephen Jay Gould Award - The Paleontological Society (2018)