Kat Schroeder, Ph.D.

Post-Doctoral Research Associate
Yale University Department of Earth and Planetary Science

For most of the history of vertebrate paleontology, researchers have been interested in field discovery, naming new taxa and describing morphology.  In recent years, technology has advanced to allow us to delve deeper into the mysteries of the past.  Micro-CT scanning, geochemical analysis and statistical modeling have elucidated previously impossible to visualize 3D structures, endocast morphology, the presence of soft tissue structures, feather color, and macroevolutionary patterns.  With all of this technological progress, it is hard not to be excited about the future of paleontology.

My research interests are largely tied to these advances.  I am currently studying the effects of extreme growth in carnivorous non-avian dinosaurs on community structure, focusing on predation in Tyrannosaurs through ontogeny.   Using dental microwear analysis, multivariate analyses and game theory I hope to elucidate some of the long standing questions concerning dinosaur behavior in paleontology.