Johannes Müller
Having been interested in herps and fossils since I was little, my aim has always been to bridge the fields of paleontology and extant organismal biology, which for a long time had remained largely isolated from each other. In my opinion, “integration” is not only a buzzword from Evo-Devo but also has become crucial for performing modern biological science, or “New Biology”, which is about to overcome the intellectual drawbacks caused by the Modern Synthesis and the reductionist reflection of 20th century molecular biology (despite the undoubted success of both). One should not think that just because paleontology is mostly out of reach for DNA sequencing techniques it is unable to contribute to this newly evolving field. There are numerous recent examples of where insights from fossils provided important, and also novel ways to the understanding of biological evolution, such as the origin of morphological novelties, patterns of organismal diversity, or the age and divergence of the Tree of Life. At the same time, I think that modern paleontology also means the application of molecular, developmental, and ecological approaches – ignoring these possibilities will certainly hamper, if not cease, the future of the discipline.
Some biographic notes about myself:
Scientific education:
- WS 1993/94 – WS 1998/99: Student of geology, paleontology, and zoology at Universitaet Mainz , Germany . Diploma thesis: „Osteologie und phylogenetische Beziehungen von Eolacerta robusta , einer großwuechsigen Eidechse aus dem Mitteleozaen von Messel und dem Geiseltal.“ ["Osteology and relationships of Eolacerta robusta , a large-sized lizard from the Middle Eocene of Messel and Geiseltal"]. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Juergen A. Boy.
- January 2000 – July 2002: Doctoral degree in vertebrate paleontology at Universitaet Mainz (“summa cum laude“). Thesis title: "A revision of Askeptosaurus italicus and other thalattosaurs from the European Triassic, the interrelationships of thalattosaurs, and their phylogenetic position within diapsid reptiles (Amniota, Eureptilia)". Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Juergen A. Boy.
Positions:
- May 2002 – April 2003: Fellow of Prof. Dr. Dietrich Mebs´ molecular lab at the Zentrum der Rechtsmedizin der Universitaet Frankfurt.
- May 2003 – April 2005: Postdoctoral fellow in Prof. Dr. Robert Reisz's vertebrate paleontology lab at University of Toronto at Mississauga , Canada .
- May 2005 – December 2005: Postdoctoral fellow in Prof. Dr. Belinda Chang's molecular biology lab at University of Toronto St. George .
- January 2006 – December 2007: Leader of Emmy Noether junior research group at Museum fuer Naturkunde at Humboldt Universitaet Berlin , Germany .
- January 2008 - April 2010: Curator of basal tetrapods at Museum fuer Naturkunde Berlin.
- Since May 2010: Professor of Paleozoology at Humboldt University Berlin.
Other Functions
- Editorial Board, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology
- Editorial Board, Cambridge University Press - Studies in Morphology and Molecules
- Editorial Board, Trends in Evolutionary Biology
Grants and awards:
- January 2000 – March 2002: Graduate scholarship of the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes (“German National Merit Foundation”).
- September 2001: Samuel P. Welles Fund for Visiting Scientists, University of California Museum of Paleontology Berkeley.
- April – September 2002: Graduate scholarship of the Universitaet Mainz.
- May 2003 – April 2005: Postdoctoral scholarship of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) within the “Emmy Noether-Programm”, plus additional travel funding.
- July 2004: “Preis der Johannes Gutenberg-Universitaet Mainz“ for excellent dissertation.
- Since January 2006: 5-year funding for junior research group within the “Emmy Noether-Programm” of the German Research Foundation.
Contact
Museum fuer Naturkunde
Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung
an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Invalidenstr. 43
10115 Berlin
Germany>
+49 30 20938805
johannes.mueller[at]mfn-berlin.de