Charles Marshall

I am broadly interested in how paleontology can inform our understanding of the history of life, and the processes that control it. My research often takes advantage of data from genomics, molecular phylogenies, developmental biology, and functional studies. Much of my work also involves the development of new tools or ways of knowing. Current projects in my group center on: understanding how biodiversity changes on geologic timescales, and on how molecular phylogenetic data and the fossil record might be used synergistically to understand the processes responsible for changes in diversity; the calibration of molecular clocks; and, the import of new genomic data on our understanding of the Cambrian explosion. Graduate students are encouraged to develop their own research projects, and to take maximum advantage of depth of talent that characterizes the UCMP, Integrative Biology and the Berkeley campus.