CV
EDUCATION
2022 – Present Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, LA
2017 August – 2022 May: PhD candidate in Geosciences (GPA 4.0), Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA.
Dissertation: The evolution of convergence, growth, and diet under an adaptive landscape framework
2017 August – 2022 May: Fellow with the Interfaces of Global Change IGEP, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA.
2011 – 2015: B.S. Biochemistry with Departmental Honors and General Biology with Departmental honors (GPA 3.63), University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
PUBLICATIONS
Griffin, C. T., B. M. Wynd, D. Munyikwa, T. J. Broderick, M. Zondo, S. Tolan, M. C. Langer, S. J. Nesbitt, and H. R. Taruvinga. 2022. Africa’s oldest dinosaurs reveal early climatic suppression of dinosaurian biogeographic distribution. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-0533-x
Wynd, B. M., J. C. Uyeda, and S. J. Nesbitt. 2021. Including distorted specimens in allometric studies: linear mixed models account for deformation. Integrative Organismal Biology 3 (1): DOI:10.1093/iob/obab017
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Wynd, B. M., R. N. Martínez, C. Colombi, and O. Alcober. 2020. A review of vertebrate beak morphologies in the Triassic: a framework to characterize an enigmatic beak from the Ischigualasto Formation, San Juan, Argentina. Ameghiniana 57(4): 370–387; DOI:10.5710/AMGH.13.05.2020.3313.
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Wynd, B. M., D. G. DeMar Jr., and G. P. Wilson. 2020. Euselachian diversity through the uppermost Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation of Garfield County, Montana, with implications for the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction in freshwater environments. Cretaceous Research: 104483.
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Wynd, B. M., M. R. Stocker, S. J. Nesbitt, and A. B. Heckert. 2020. A detailed description of Rugarhynchos sixmilensis gen. et comb. nov. (Archosauriformes, Proterochampsia) and cranial convergence in snout elongation across stem and crown archosaurs. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 39 (6): 31748042.
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Wynd, B. M., M. R. Stocker, and E. B. Daeschler. 2020. Evolutionary homology in the fin-to-limb transition: evaluating the morphology of foramina in a Late Devonian humerus from the Catskills Formation, Clinton County, Pennsylvania. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 39 (5): DOI:10.1080/02724634.2019.1718682.
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Wynd, B. M., B. R. Peecook, M. R. Whitney, and C. A. Sidor. 2018. The first Occurrence of Cynognathus crateronotus (Cynodontia, Cynognathia) in Tanzania and Zambia, with implications for the age and biostratigraphic correlation of Triassic strata in southern Pangea; pp. 228-239 in C. A. Sidor and S. J. Nesbitt (eds.), Vertebrate and climatic evolution in the Triassic rift basins of Tanzania and Zambia. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Memoir 17. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 37 (6, supplement).
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Wynd, B. M., C. J. Watson, K. Patil, G. E. Sanders and R. Y. Kwon. 2017. A Dynamic Anesthesia System for Long-Term Imaging in the Adult Zebrafish Skeleton. Zebrafish 14:1-17.
GRANTS & AWARDS
External Funding
2021 July: Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Mary R Dawson Pre Doctoral Award - $3,000
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2020 June: Geological Society of America Graduate Student Research Award - $930
2020 January: Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Division of Vertebrate Morphology Karel F. Liem Best Student Poster Prize - $150
2019 August: Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Jackson School of Geosciences Student Member Travel Grant - $600
2019 April: Paleontological Society Yochelson Student Research Award - $1,200
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Internal funding
2020 May: Tillman Teaching Award for advanced laboratories, Virginia Tech Geosciences - $500
2020 May: Interfaces of Global Change Graduate Student Fellowship Award - $40,000
2020 April: Virginia Tech College of Science Roundtable Make-a-Difference Scholarship for Graduate Study Finalist - $5,000
2019 May: Virginia Tech Geosciences Robinson-Holden Summer Scholarship - $2,000
2019 April: Virginia Tech Department of Geosciences Petroleum Industry Research Scholarship - $750
2019 February: Virginia Tech Geosciences Student Research Symposium Best Talk, Friday morning, February 22nd.
2018 October: Virginia Tech Nutshell Games for communicating science: 1st prize winner - $500
2018 May: Virginia Tech Department of Geosciences Charles and Frances Sears Summer Scholarship - $2,866.
2018 May: Virginia Tech Department of Geosciences Charles J. Gose Research Award - $1,000.
PRESENTATIONS
Wynd, B. M.*, C. T. Griffin, and S. J. Nesbitt. 2021. Testing the presence of abiotic biogeographic drivers using only phylogeny: subtropical aridity as a barrier for early dinosaur dispersal. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. Talk.
Wynd, B. M.*, C. T. Griffin, and S. J. Nesbitt. 2021. Testing the presence of abiotic biogeographic drivers using only phylogeny: subtropical aridity as a barrier for early dinosaur dispersal. Evolution. Talk.
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Wynd, B. M.*, C. T. Griffin, and S. J. Nesbitt. 2021. Africa’s oldest dinosaurs reveal early climatic suppression of dinosaurian biogeographic distribution (part 2). Triassic Vertebrate Paleontology Meetup. Talk.
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Griffin, C. T.*, B. M. Wynd, and S. J. Nesbitt. 2021. Africa’s oldest dinosaurs reveal early climatic suppression of dinosaurian biogeographic distribution (part 1). Triassic Vertebrate Paleontology Meetup. Talk.
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Wynd, B. M.*, and J. C. Uyeda. 2021. Absolute fitness explains evolutionary patterns at the micro and macro levels. Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. Accepted for talk.
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Wynd, B. M.*, J. C. Uyeda, and S. J. Nesbitt. 2020. Including distorted specimens in allometric analyses: using generalized linear mixed models to account for sample deformation. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. Talk.
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Wynd, B. M.*, J. C. Uyeda, F. Abdala, and S. J. Nesbitt. 2020. Allometric growth and shifting diet in the large-bodied traversodontid cynodont, Exaeretodon argentinus, with implications for modeling growth in distorted specimens. Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. Karel F. Liem Poster P1-180.
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Wynd, B. M.*, E. B. Daeschler, and M. R. Stocker. 2019. Evolutionary homology in the fin-to-limb transition: evaluating the morphology of foramina in a Late Devonian humerus from the Catskill Formation, Clinton County, Pennsylvania. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, Brisbane, Australia. Poster PII-B80.
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Stocker, M. R.*, and B. M. Wynd. 2019. Novelty and constraint: convergent evolution among archosaurs and their closest relatives. Journal of Morphology (Platform presentation, International Congress of Vertebrate Morphology, Prague).
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Wynd, B. M.* 2019. High cranial disparity in the close relatives of archosaurs as demonstrated in Doswellia sixmilensis (Archosauriformes: Proterochampsia). Virginia Tech Geosciences Student Research Symposium. Talk.
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Wynd, B. M.*, and R. N. Martínez. 2019. A review of vertebrate beak morphologies in the Late Triassic; a framework to phylogenetically place an enigmatic beak from the Ischigualasto Formation, San Juan, Argentina. Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. Poster P1-72.
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Wynd, B. M.*, S. J. Nesbitt, and A. B. Heckert. 2018. Skull elongation in stem archosaur cranial disparity: re-evaluating Doswellia sixmilensis (Archosauriformes: Proterochampsia) to examine phylogenetic distribution of morphological disparity. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, Albuquerque, New Mexico; Talk Technical Session XIII.
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Nesbitt, S. J.*, C. T. Griffin, E. Evans, R. Muller, C. Pacheco, F. Preto, S. Cabreira, A. Marsh, B. M. Wynd, M. Langer, D. Pol, P. Barrett, C. Apaldetti, R. Irmis, M. Ezcurra, R. Butler, D. Barta, J. Choiniere, and K. Chappelle. 2018. Prevalent ontogenetic changes characterize early dinosaurs and their closest relatives: implications for species identification, phylogeny, and the loss of these changes in later dinosaurs. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, Albuquerque, New Mexico; Talk, Technical Session I.
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Taruvinga, H. R.*, B. M. Wynd, S. Tolan, C. T. Griffin. 2018. A Luangwa-like cynodont from northern Zimbabwe and endemism across the Carnian of southern Africa. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, Albuquerque, New Mexico; Poster, B36.
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Wynd, B. M.*, D. G. DeMar Jr., and G. P. Wilson. 2018. Diversity of Chondrichthyes through the uppermost Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation of Garfield County, Montana, with implications for the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction in freshwater environments. Virginia Tech Interfaces of Global Change Symposium. Talk.
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Wynd, B. M.*, D. G. DeMar Jr., and G. P. Wilson. 2018. Diversity of Chondrichthyes through the uppermost Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation of Garfield County, Montana, with implications for the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction in freshwater environments. Virginia Tech Geosciences Student Research Symposium. Talk.
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Wynd, B. M.*, D. G. DeMar Jr., and G. P. Wilson. 2018. Diversity of Chondrichthyes through the uppermost Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation of Garfield County, Montana, with implications for the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction in freshwater environments. Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, San Francisco, California; Poster P2-113.
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Wynd, B. M.*, D. G. DeMar Jr., and G. P. Wilson. 2017. Diversity of chondrichthyans through the uppermost Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Hell Creek Formation of Garfield County, Montana, with implications for the Cretaceous-Paleogene Mass Extinction. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, Calgary, Canada; Talk Technical Session II.
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Wynd, B. M.*, B. R. Peecook, M. R. Whitney and C. A. Sidor. 2017. The First Occurrence of Cynognathus in Tanzania and Zambia, with Biostratigraphic Implications for the Age of Triassic Strata in Southern Pangea. University of California Berkeley, Fossil Coffee, Berkeley, California; Talk.
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Wynd, B. M.*, C. A. Sidor, B. R. Peecook, M. R. Whitney, R. M. H. Smith, S. J. Nesbitt, K. D. Angielczyk, and N. J. Tabor. 2016. First Occurrence of Cynognathus in Tanzania and Zambia, with Biostratigraphic Implications for the Age of Triassic Strata in Southern Pangea. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, Salt Lake City, Utah; Poster B24. Colbert Prize session participant.
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Wynd, B. M.*, K. Patil, C. J. Watson, G. E. Sanders, and R. Y. Kwon. 2015. A Dynamic Anesthesia System for Long-Term Imaging in the Adult Zebrafish Skeleton. American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, Seattle, Washington; Poster SU0183.
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Wynd, B. M.*, K. Patil, C. J. Watson, G. E. Sanders, and R. Y. Kwon. 2015. A Dynamic Anesthesia System for Long-Term Imaging in the Adult Zebrafish Skeleton. Fishbone, Seattle, Washington; Talk and Poster.
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Wynd, B. M.*, K. Patil, C. J. Watson, G. E. Sanders, and R. Y. Kwon. 2015. A Dynamic Anesthesia System for Long-Term Imaging in the Adult Zebrafish Skeleton. University of Washington Undergraduate Research Symposium, Seattle, Washington; Poster.
*Presenting author
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JOURNAL REVIEWER
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Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society
Palaeontologia Electronica
Nature Ecology & Evolution
DIVERSITY EFFORTS​
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2020 October – Present: Interfaces of Global Change Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Reading Group – How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi.
2020 November: VT Geosciences workshops on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Difficult Conversations – graduate student participant
2020 September: VT Geosciences workshops on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion – graduate student participant
2019 Fall: Graduate student selected speaker committee chair – chaired a committee that invited four women across diverse fields to give seminars
at Virginia Tech
2019 Spring: student participant in Diversity for a Global Society course at Virginia Tech
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2022 August – Present: Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, Louisiana: Co-instructor for 2nd semester intro biology
(two sections).
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2022 January – May: Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia. Teaching assistant for Morphology of the Vertebrates.
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2021 August – October: Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia. Teaching assistant and co-instructor (one section) for Graduate
Research Fellowship preparation course (three sections). Developed curriculum for students ineligible for GRFP
(Instructor: Dr. Meryl Mims).
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2021 February: Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia. Guest lecture for Advanced Vertebrate Evolution (Instructor: Dr. Sterling Nesbitt)
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2020 January – May: Virginia Tech, Blacksburg Virginia. Instructor for Principles of Biology lab 1116 (three sections).
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2019 August – December: Virginia Tech, Blacksburg Virginia. Instructor for Principles of Biology lab 1115 (three sections).
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2019 January – May: Virginia Tech, Blacksburg Virginia. Teaching assistant for Advanced Vertebrate Evolution (Instructor: Dr. Sterling Nesbitt).
2019 February: Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia. Guest lecture for Advanced Vertebrate Evolution (Instructor: Dr. Sterling Nesbitt).
2018 August – December: Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia. Grading assistant for Environmental Geosciences (Instructor: Dr. Robert Tracy).
2018 January – May: Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia. Teaching assistant for Earth and life through time (Instructor: Dr. Sterling Nesbitt).
2017 August – December: Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia. Grading assistant for Environmental Geosciences (Instructor: Dr. Robert Tracy).
2017 January – March: University of Washington, Seattle, Washington. Peer teaching assistant for Comparative anatomy of vertebrates (Instructor: Dr. Karen Petersen).
ELECTED POSITIONS
2018 August – 2019 May: Social Chair for the Interfaces of Global Change Graduate Student Organization.
PUBLIC OUTREACH
2020 February – Summit School skype, Spokane Valley, Washington. Skyped with the classrooms of Zenita Bockstruck and Jennifer McDonald discussing paleontology.
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2019 November – Virginia Science Festival, Blacksburg, Virginia. Engaged the public on the process of how we collect and study small vertebrate fossils.
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2019 October – Fossil unwrapping party, Blacksburg, Virginia. Worked with patrons to unwrap fossils and add collections notes to them.
2019 March – Comscicon, Blacksburg, Virginia. Co-developed and executed a 2-hour session about how to give a 90 second research presentation
to the general public.
2019 February – Science on Tap, Blacksburg, Virginia. Gave a public talk about extinction and my research, based around my award-winning nutshell talk.
2019 February – Summit School skype, Spokane Valley, Washington. Skyped with the classroom of Zenita Bockstruck to talk about fossilization and the study of paleontology.
2018 October – Virginia Science Festival, Blacksburg, Virginia. Engaged the public on the process of how we collect and study small fossil vertebrate animals.
2018 October – National Fossil Day, Washington, D. C. Engaged the public on the study of microfossils and how paleontological research is conducted.
2018 April – Radford University Science and Technology Festival, Radford, Virginia. Worked with Devin Hoffman to engage the public on paleontological research being done at Virginia Tech.
2018 February – Summit School skype, Spokane Valley, Washington. Skyped with the classroom of Zenita Bockstruck to talk about fossil collection in southwestern US.
2017 November – Virginia Science Festival, Blacksburg, Virginia. I organized the paleobiology participation for the event. This included creating the poster, setting up the table, instructing volunteers on the exhibits and engaging with the public.
2017 October – Undergraduate Research Opportunity Session, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia. I gave a short presentation regarding my research and how undergraduates can get involved.
2017 September – Fossil unwrapping party with Virginia Tech Paleobiology team, Blacksburg, Virginia. I helped to direct participants and assisted them with questions.
2017 March – Summit School visit, Spokane Valley, Washington. Presented to elementary school students about paleontology and the collection and study of fossil materials.
2017 March – Cheney High School visit, Cheney, Washington. Visited my high school and gave a talk about paleontology and how to use an education from Cheney High School to develop a career in sciences.
2017 March – Dino Weekend event at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Seattle, Washington. Organized the attendance for Wilson lab undergraduate volunteers, developed their sorting/Montana fossil station, spoke about the discovery of the Burke Museum baby Triceratops, and spoke about the discovery and plans for the “Tufts-Love Tyrannosaurus rex.”
2017 February: Behind the Scenes Night, Burke Museum of Natural and Culture History Seattle, Washington. Organized a sorting activity for patrons and spoke about the collection history of the “Tufts-Love Tyrannosaurus rex.”
2016 November: Meet the Mammals, Burke Museum of Natural History Seattle, Washington. Educating the public on how we collect Mesozoic mammals and what that means for modern mammal understandings.
2016 September: Chocolate Fair, Burke Museum of Natural History Seattle, Washington. Educated incoming freshmen about how we collected the Tuft’s-Love Tyrannosaurus rex skull as well as informing students about the paleobiology minor at the University of Washington.
2016 July – August: DIG Field School Instructor at the Hell Creek State Park, Montana. Duties included educating K-12 Teachers on how to prospect for/collect vertebrate fossils from the latest Cretaceous/earliest Paleocene of Montana.
2016 March: Dino Day, Burke Museum of Natural History Seattle, Washington. Educated the public on various Mesozoic fossils. Primarily talking about feeding strategies of Triceratops.
2016 February: Burke Museum Behind the Scenes Night Seattle, Washington. Volunteered in the paleontology department of the Burke Museum of Natural History educating the public about fossils and field work expeditions.
2015 July – August: DIG Field School Instructor at the Hell Creek State Park, Montana. Duties included educating K-12 teachers on how to prospect for/collect vertebrate fossils from the latest Cretaceous/earliest Paleocene of MT.
FIELD EXPERIENCE
2019 May – June: Fieldwork with Virginia Tech in the Chinle Formation of Arizon. Assisted in the collection and prospecting of fossil vertebrates.
2018 July: Fieldwork with Virginia Tech in the Popo Agie Formation of Wyoming. Assisted in the collection and prospecting of fossil vertebrates.
2018 April – May: Fieldwork with Ricardo Martínez and colleagues of the Museo de Ciencias Naturales, San Juan, Argentina, in the Marayes-El Carrizal Basin, San Juan, Argentina. Assisted in the collection and prospecting of fossil vertebrates across the Triassic-Jurassic boundary.
2017 July – August: Fieldwork with Virginia Tech in the Popo Agie Formation of Wyoming, Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona and Ghost Ranch, New Mexico. Assisted in the collection and prospecting of fossil vertebrates.
2016 September: UWBM PEFO fieldwork, Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona. Duties included prospecting and quarrying for micro and mesovertebrates and macrocollection of numerous large specimens.
2016 Summer: Hell Creek Project III at the Hell Creek State Park, Montana. Duties included prospecting for new potential study localities, working with students from the UW Biol 475 course in collecting surface and quarried specimens, and assisting in the recovery of a relatively complete Tyrannosaurus rex skull.
2015 August: Hell Creek Project III at the Hell Creek State Park, Montana. Duties included assisting current members of the Hell Creek Project in recovering large dinosaur fossils now stored at the University of Washington, Burke Museum.
VOLUNTEER
2015 September – 2017 June: University of Washington Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Seattle, Washington. Responsibilities include using necessary tools to prepare fossils for research/display purposes and assisting the Curators/Collections managers with organizing the vertebrate paleontology collections.
