Alexandra Buczek
Richard Gilder Graduate School • 100 W 83rd St, New York NY 10024 • • (860) 986-3805
EDUCATION
Richard Gilder Graduate School New York, NY • Expected Degree October 2020
- Ph.D. Comparative Biology
- Relevant coursework includes: Systematics; Grantsmanship and Ethics; GIS
Brown University Providence, RI • September 2012 – May 2016
- B.Sc. Geology-Biology with Honors
- Relevant coursework includes: Physical Processes in Geology, Fossil Record, Principles of Ecology, Evolution of a Habitable Planet, Evolutionary Biology, Comparative Biology of the Vertebrates, Biogeochemistry and Terrestrial Ecosystems, Ocean Biogeochemical Cycling, Evolution of the Biosphere, Stratigraphy and Sedimentation, Environmental Geochemistry
University of Bristol Bristol, UK • January 2015 – July 2015
- Study Abroad Program
- Relevant coursework includes: Evolution of the Biosphere, Geobiology, Atmospheric Processes, Cambrian Explosion: Origin of Animal Body Plans
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
University of Bristol, research assistant Bristol, United Kingdom •June 2015 – December 2016
•Worked with Michael Benton and Tom Stubbs
•Calculated body size of Paleogene birds from femur and tarsometatarsal length
•Constructed and dated phylogenetic tree of Paleogene birds
•Analyzed evolutionary models of Paleogene bird diversity using R
•Compiling results and writing paper on these analyses
American Museum of Natural History, REU New York, NY• May 2014-August 2014
•Worked with Michael Novacek and Paul Velazco
•Reconstructed CT scans of Mesozoic mammals
•Coded cranial, dental, and postcranial characters of fossil specimens
•Completed phylogenetic analyses using PAUP and TNT
•Analyzed phylogenetic relationships between leptictids
American Museum of Natural History, research intern New York, NY•August 2015
•Worked with Michael Novacek and Paul Velazco
•Reconstructed CT scans of cynodonts
•Photographed fossil specimens using Scanning Electron Microscope
•Coded cranial, dental, and postcranial characters of fossil specimens
•Completed phylogenetic analyses using PAUP and TNT
•Analyzed phylogenetic relationships between tritylodonts
Brown University, research assistant Providence, RI •August 2015 – May 2016
•Worked with Christine Janis and Timothy Herbert
•Compared articular surfaces of ruminant metapodials to find phylogenetic applications
•Measuring Miocene African carnivore specimens
•Running disparity and morphometric analyses on African carnivores to determine diversity patterns
•Analyzing correlations between sea surface temperatures, carbon isotopes, and carnivore diversity
•Compiling results and running senior thesis on African carnivore research
Richard Gilder Graduate School, Ph. D. Student New York, NY • September 2016 – Present
•Working with Melanie Hopkins
•Faunal response of fossil marine molluscs to periods of global climate change
PRESENTATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS
May 2016Buczek, A. Examination of a correlation between global fossil mammal diversity and sea surface alkenone data: Implications for terrestrial environments during the Pliocene Epoch. Senior Thesis Paper and Oral Presentation. Brown University Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences Senior Thesis Presentation. May 2016. Providence, RI.
August 2014Buczek A. The Morphobank Matrix Reloaded: The Importance of Key Fossil Taxa in the Diversification of Placentals. Abstract and Oral Presentation. American Museum of Natural History Summer REU Symposium. August 2014. New York, NY.
SKILL SET
Languages: Polish, Spanish
Technical: Competent in PAUP, TNT, R, and Analyseries; MS Office proficiency in Word, Powerpoint, Excel
Laboratory: Can use VG Studio to reconstruct CT scans, can take SEM images of specimens; Experienced with large database work
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Sigma Xi, Brown University Chapter Inducted May 2016
Association for Women in Science, New York Women in Natural Sciences Chapter 2016