Predoctoral Researcher 'Miquel Crusafont'
Dinosaur Ecosystems
(Sitges, 1998)
Graduated in Geology from the University of Barcelona (2020), during which I was elected class representative for part of the program. Later, I completed the Master’s in Paleobiology and Fossil Record (2021), jointly offered by the Autonomous University of Barcelona, the Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, and the University of Barcelona. My master’s thesis focused on the study of the remains of a large marine turtle (Chelonioidea) from the middle Campanian of the Pyrenees, including its systematic description, phylogenetic analysis, and paleohistology.
So far, I have had the opportunity to collaborate with the institution’s staff through washing and excavation campaigns (with the research groups in Paleoprimatology and Paleoanthropology, as well as in Dinosaur Ecosystems). Additionally, after completing the master’s degree, I have been professionally linked to the Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont as a technician, performing sediment sorting and collection management tasks, as well as leading guided visits in museums and paleontological sites.
Currently, I am a PhD student at the institution, in collaboration with the Autonomous University of Barcelona. The thesis is supervised by Dr. Albert Prieto Márquez, Dr. Albert Sellés Garcia, and externally by Dr. Xabier Pereda Suberbiola (UPV). The funding for this thesis project comes from the Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP-CERCA) through the ‘Miquel Crusafont’ Predoctoral Researcher Contract [ICPJA019]. While the focus of the thesis is to better understand ankylosaur groups from Western Europe, it is centered on two main objectives: determining the true diversity of struthiosaurid and polacanthid ankylosaurs; and understanding various paleobiological aspects of these clades, such as the functions of their extensively developed osteoderms and their diets.
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Relevant links:
ORCID ID: 0000-0002-8405-6962
Scopus ID: 57969021400
ResearchGate Profile: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Oscar-Castillo-Visa
