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Mónica Carvalho
Paleobiologist / Plant Morphologist
ABOUT
I am a Colombian botanist and paleobiologist.
Being the tropical creature that I am, I grew up surrounded by plants, and from an early age became marveled with leaves, photosynthesis, and evolution
I have worked with various topics related to plants, ranging from taxonomy and phylogenetics of fossil plants to phloem hydraulics and leaf functional morphology, plant-insect interactions in living and past ecosystems, and paleoecology.
Currently, I combine observational and experimental approaches on plant function with the fossil record to better understand the paleobiology and evolution of past tropical rainforests. The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute wrote a wonderful piece describing my work as a postdoctoral fellow:
On the side, I love camping, winter hiking, cooking, and baking.
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Education and Academic positions
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2023 (pres) Assistant Professor/Curator University of Michigan
2017–2022 Postdoctoral Fellow Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
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2017 Ph.D. Cornell University. Integrative Plant Sciences
2011 MS. Pennsylvania State University. Geosciences
2009 BSc. Universidad de Antioquia. Biology
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