William Reyes
Ph.D., Geosciences (Vertebrate Paleontology), The University of Texas at Austin, expected 2025
Supervisor |
Current research interests include: 1) The macroevolutionary processes that drive vertebrate evolution; 2) The faunal dynamics (i.e., speciation, extinction, geographic range shifts, eco-morphological diversity) in the Late Triassic; 3) The endocranial morphology and paleoneurology of Triassic pseudosuchians; 4) Assessing intraspecific variation in the fossil record and how it influences our phylogenetic hypotheses of extinct taxa; 5) Refining the temporal constraints of Late Triassic strata in the southwestern United States.
My dissertation research is primarily focused on the morphological evolution, inter- and intraspeciifc variation, and biostratigraphy of the Aetosauria. I am also interested in refining the temporal constraints of the Dockum Group in Texas and isolated exposures of the Chinle Formation in Colorado using U-Pb geochronology.
Much of my research is collections based and heavy in the use of high-resolution computed tomography (CT). Most of my fieldwork has been focused on studying the vertebrate fauna and stratigraphy of the Late Triassic Chinle Formation throughout Utah and Arizona, locations include: Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Glen Canyon, and, currently, Petrified Forest National Park (PEFO). Additionally, I worked three field seasons as a vertebrate paleontology intern at PEFO.
Lundelius Endowment in Vertebrate Paleontology - The University of Texas at Austin, Jackson School of Geosciences (2022)
Summer Fellowship - The University of Texas at Austin Graduate School (2022)
GSA Travel Grant - Geological Society of America (2022)
Endowed Presidential Scholarship - The University of Texas at Austin (2022)
NSF Graduate Student Research Fellowship - National Science Foundation (2021)
Graduate Student Mentoring Fellowship - The University of Texas at Austin Graduate School (2020)
Reyes, W., Parker, W. & Marsh, A. (2020). Cranial Anatomy and Dentition of the Aetosaur Typothorax coccinarum (Archosauria: Pseudosuchia) from the Upper Triassic (Revueltian—Mid Norian) Chinle Formation of Arizona. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 40, e1876080. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02724634.2020.1876080. doi:.
Reyes, W., Parker, W. & Heckert, A. (2023). A new aetosaur (Archosauria: Pseudosuchia) from the upper Blue Mesa Member (Adamanian: Early-Mid Norian) of the Late Triassic Chinle Formation, northern Arizona, USA, and a review of the paratypothoracin Tecovasuchus across the southwestern USA. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 40, 1-15. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6q35k21s. doi:.