Dr Davide Foffa PhD

BSc in Geological Sciences (University of Pisa – Italy)

MSc in Palaeobiology (University of Bristol – UK)

PhD in Palaeobiology (University of Edinburgh – UK)

Davide research intersects the fields of paleobiology and ecology and is driven by digital data. His works study the form (anatomy) and function (biomechanics), relationships (systematics) of tetrapod groups and how anatomical innovations translate into ecological diversity. He uses these data to understand origins, evolution, drivers and broad patterns of taxonomic and ecological diversity in deep time and through major evolutionary events.  

Davide’s scientific background includes foundational paleontological methods (e.g., fieldwork, museum collections, comparative anatomy, systematics) and advanced imaging technologies (e.g., computed tomography, photogrammetry) that provide the the data for broader anayses (e.g., cladistics, multivariate analyses, phylogenetic comparative methods, ecological modeling, biomechanics, functional anatomy, R coding). He has published extensively on the topics of anatomy, systematics, biomechanics, paleoecology, and evolution of a broad variety of terrestrial and aquatic vertebrate groups, particularly from the Triassic and Jurassic periods.

His research is frequently informed by comparisons with data of living analogues (organisms and processes). Davide is research associate of Virginia Tech and National Museums Scotland and a member of the Global Change Center at Virginia Tech.