Richard (right) examines a fragment of mastodon tusk with Dr. Elizabeth Babcock of The Field Museum from a 2007 dig in Illinois. Photo courtesy of Forest Preserve District of DuPage County.

Richard is a vertebrate paleontologist who has studied extinct amphibians, dinosaurs and other reptiles, the ancient relatives of mammals, and ice age mammals. He recently completed his Ph.D. under the supervision of Dr. Robert R. Reisz at the University of Toronto, where his dissertation work focused on the enigmatic group of Paleozoic tetrapods known as diadectids. Lacking any spikes, sails, or other visually spectacular features, diadectids at first appear slightly rotund and not much else. But based on their dental and postcranial anatomy, it is generally agreed that diadectids represent the first tetrapods capable of processing a diet of high-fiber terrestrial plants. Richard’s work investigates the evolutionary history and diversity of the group, applying that information to examine questions regarding the development of the modern terrestrial ecosystem.