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Prof Susan Evans
Professor of Vertebrate Morphology and Palaeontology
Cell & Developmental Biology
Div of Biosciences
- Joined UCL
- 1st Oct 1984
Research summary
Lepidosaurs (the reptile group including lizards, snakes and their relatives) and lissamphibians (frogs and salamanders, and their relatives) form two of the largest and most successful groups of living organisms. They include some of the most diverse and specialised body forms, and show a wide range of ecologies, reproductive strategies, and locomotor abilities. My lab focuses on the evolution of key anatomical features in these and related groups, and on the consequences of these innovations for their temporal and geographical diversification.
Our approach is multidisciplinary, combining comparative anatomy, imaging, functional morphology, palaeobiology, development, morphometrics, and biomechanical modeling, to give an integrated perspective on morphological evolution through time.
We are currently collaborating with researchers in the UK, USA, Canada, China, Japan, Russia, and France on a range of prjects involving both fossil and recent material.
Teaching summary
I currently teach undergraduate (BSc) courses in human and comparative anatomy and contribute to teaching in palaeontology and zoology (BSc, MSci). In addition, I supervise research projects at Masters and Ph.D level (palaeontology, morphology, systematics).
Education
- Institute of Education
- Other Postgraduate qualification (including professional), Postgraduate Certificate in Education | 1980
- Institute of Education
- Other Postgraduate qualification (including professional), ATQ07 - Holder of a PGCE in higher education, secondary edu, further edu, life long lear | 1980
- University College London
- Doctorate, Doctor of Philosophy | 1977
- University of London
- First Degree, Bachelor of Science (Honours) | 1974
Biography
I completed BSc in Zoology (Bedford College, University of London) followed by a PhD in Vertebrate Palaeontology (UCL) under the supervision of Kenneth Kermack, and a PGCE in Biology (Institute of Education, London). I spent three years teaching zoology and anatomy (and chasing lizards) in Bahrain, Arabian Gulf, before returning to the UK and a position at the Middlesex Hospital Medical School. Following the merger between MHMS and UCL, I rejoined UCL (Department of Anatomy, now Cell & Developmental Biology).