Will Brightly (he|him): Will is a PhD candidate in the Strömberg Lab at the University of Washington. He studies grasses and grasslands, and is particularly interested in the evolution of seed dispersal strategy. An alternative acronym for MPC could be Miocene Poaceae Collective.
Matt Butrim (he|him): Matt is a PhD student in the Currano Lab at the University of Wyoming. He is interested in leaf traits, and how morphology is related to plant function. Merry Paleobotany Christmas!
Ellen Currano (she|her): Ellen is an associate professor in the Departments of Botany and Geology & Geophysics at the University of Wyoming. Research interests include the response of plants and insects to environmental perturbations, Paleogene hothouse ecosystems in the Western US, the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, and the Paleogene-Neogene transition in Africa. Ellen co-founded The Bearded Lady Project. MPC = Magnificent Paleogene Conversations.
Ivo Duijnstee (no pronoun preference): Ivo is an assistant adjunct professor at UC Berkeley. With a background in plant ecology, marine ecology, geosciences, and the paleoecology of foraminifera, Ivo's work has dodged straightforward classification. Nevertheless, various interests have now coalesced in Paleozoic plant ecology, ecophysiology and evolution—using plant fossils, data sets and experimental paleobotany to answer questions about the adolescent terrestrial biosphere in the Paleozoic and its relations with the Earth System. Must Procure Coffee now...
Reilly Hayes: Reilly is a PhD student working with professor Cindy Looy at UC Berkeley. Reilly is developing a database of southern hemisphere Permian pollen and spores to understand how high latitude plant communities responded to the collapse of the Earth’s only previous vegetated icehouse. Monosaccate Partisan Club.
Jaemin Lee (he|they): Jaemin is a PhD candidate working with professor Cindy Looy at UC Berkeley. Jaemin’s broader research interest includes ecology and evolution of plants, insects, and their interactions in the past. He is also passionate for improving field safety and educational accessibility. More Plants from the Cretaceous?
Cindy Looy (she|her): Cin is an associate professor at UC Berkeley. Her research focuses on the response of Paleozoic plants and plant communities to environmental change during periods of mass extinction and deglaciation, and possible evolutionary consequences. She has a soft spot for conifers and lycopods... What about More Paleozoic Conifers?
Benjamin Muddiman (he|him): Ben is a PhD candidate working with professors Cindy Looy and Ivo Duijnstee at UC Berkeley. He studies paleoecology and plant evolution. In particular, he examines the 450 million year history of fire and its role in the evolution of plants. He also dabbles in lycophyte phylogenetics. Much Paleozoic Conflagration.
Claudia Richbourg (she/her): Claudia is a PhD student with Dr. Ellen Currano at the University of Wyoming. Her research focuses on the the plant and insect community response to climate change during the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum in the Wind River Basin, WY. An alt acronym for MPC could be Magic Peat Cabal.
Lauren Azevedo Schmidt (she|her): Lauren is a PhD candiate working with Dr. Ellen D. Currano at the University of Wyoming. She studies plant-insect interactions in modern ecosystems to calibrate the fossil record and loves thinking about how trait ecology is shaped by environmental filters and gradients at a multitude of scales. An alternative acronym for MPC should be Most Punk-rock Collection.
Elena Stiles (she/her): Elena is a PhD student working with Dr. Caroline Strömberg at the University of Washington. Elena is interested in Andean uplift as a driving mechanism for the spread of grasses and grasslands in Northern South America. Member of the Miocene Poaceae Collective. An alternative acronym for MPC should be Multigenerational Paleobotanical Caucus.
Caroline A.E. Strömberg (she|her): Caroline is the Estella B. Leopold Professor in Biology and the Curator of Paleobotany at the Burke Museum. She is curious about how plants and plant evolution influence, and are influenced by the abiotic and biotic environment. Her favorite subject is the evolution of grasses and grasslands, but she enjoys all manner of Cretaceous–Cenozoic ecosystem assembly and underlying processes. She also cares a great deal about representation in STEM. MPC = Maximized Phytolith Content. Of course.
Jenn Wagner (she|her): Jenn is a PhD student working with Dr. Cin Looy at UC Berkeley. Jenn's broad interests include plant paleoecology, paleoclimatology, and global biogeochemistry. Jenn is currently working on cuticular analysis of oak and sycamore leaves from a light experiment conducted by Lenny Kouwenberg, in addition to Eocene leaf cuticle from Tennessee. MPC = Multiple Proxies with Cuticles
Paige Wilson (she|her): Paige is a PhD candidate working with Drs. Caroline Strömberg and Greg Wilson Mantilla at the University of Washington. She studies plants across the K-Pg boundary in Montana and thinks MPC should stand for Most Paleobotanically Confused.
Alex Lowe (he|him): Alex is a PhD student working with Dr. Caroline Strömberg on plant community responses across Miocene enviornmental changes in the Pacific Northwest (US) and thinks MPC should stand for Miocene Plants straight Chillin.
Photo credit: shout out to Ian Glasspool/the Field Museum for the image of the charcoalified flower at the top of the page
