CV
Updated May 2025
Education
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
Ph.D., Geological Sciences, Informatics minor, May 2023
Dissertation: Morphology, Function, and Evolution of Lumbar Vertebrae in Paleogene Mammals. Supervised by Dr. P. David Polly.
M.S., Geological Sciences, May 2019
Thesis: The Paleoecology of Patriofelis ulta and Implications for Oxyaenid Extinction. Supervised by Dr. P. David Polly.
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
B.S., Earth Sciences, Biology minor, summa cum laude, May 2016
Thesis: Distinguishing sister species of Perognathus (Mammalia, Rodentia) using geometric morphometrics of mandibular shape. Supervised by Dr. David Fox.
Publications
Hardy, F. C. & A. E. Kort. 2025. Family-level ecometrics reveal functional trait stability in Miocene artiodactyls despite environmental change in the Mojave Region. Journal of Mammalogy. In Review
Kort, A. E. & K. E. Jones. 2024. Function of revolute zygapophyses in the lumbar vertebrae of early placental mammals. 307(5): 1918-1929. The Anatomical Record. https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.25323
Kort, A.E. 2023. The ancestral morphology of lumbar vertebrae and its diversification in early Cenozoic mammals. 30(4): 845-858 J Mammal Evol. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10914-023-09676-2
Kort, A. E. and P. D. Polly. 2023. Allometry then locomotor diversification shaped the evolution of lumbar morphology in early placental mammals. 2(1): kzad004. Evolutionary Journal of the Linnean Society. https://doi.org/10.1093/evolinnean/kzad004
Schwab, J. A., B. Figueirido, A. Martín-Serra, J. van der Hoek, A. E. Kort, J. M. E. Núñez, & K. E. Jones. 2023. Evolutionary ecomorphology for the 21st Century: Lessons from mammalian carnivores. 290: 20231400 Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2023.1400
Kort, A. E., H. Ahrens, P. D. Polly, & M. Morlo. 2022. Postcrania and paleobiology of Patriofelis ulta (Mammalia, Oxyaenodonta) of the Bridgerian (Early-Middle Eocene) of North America. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 41(6): e2045491. https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2021.2045491
Kort, A. E., & N. Famoso. 2020. Novel analysis of locality data can inform better inventory and monitoring practices for paleontological resources at John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Oregon, USA. Palaeontologia Electronica. 23(1): a17. https://doi.org/10.26879/1053
Academic Positions
University of Michigan
Postdoctoral Scholar | Michigan Society of Fellows, August 2023 & May 2026
Assistant Professor | Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
Competitive postdoctoral fellowship granted to early career researchers.
Includes non-tenure track appointment as Assistant Professor to department.
Indiana University
Research Assistant | Center for Biological Research Collections, May & June 2022
Purchased equipment and built photogrammetry stations for use in collections.
Created written and video documentation for photogrammetry stations.
Research Assistant | Environmental Resilience Institute, August 2019 & July 2020
Created protocols for microCT scan segmentation of fossil rodent jaws in 3D Slicer.
Trained undergraduate student and co-authored two conference poster presentations.
Teaching History
University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI
Instructor of Record | Earth and Environmental Sciences
EARTH 408 Introduction to GIS in the Earth Sciences, Winter 2024 & Winter 2025
Created lectures about GIS applications in geosciences
Ran two 40 student computer labs per week
Supervised grading and lab assistance by two graduate student instructors
EARTH 499 Independent Study, Spring 2024
Directed independent study for student to cover paleontology course requirement
Worked with student to create study plan and met regularly to discuss progress
Indiana University Bloomington, IN
Instructor of Record | Collins Living and Learning Community
CLLC-L 130 Paleoart: Imagining Lost Worlds, Spring 2021
Designed seminar course to meet Natural Sciences general education requirement.
Prepared and taught online synchronous lectures and with discussion activities.
Prepared and facilitated in person lab activities using fossils, bones, and casts, emphasizing practices of observation, using drawing, and inference.
Associate Instructor | Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
EAS-E 105 Earth: Our Habitable Planet, Spring 2022
EAS-E 114 Dinosaurs and their Relatives, Fall 2017, Spring 2018 & Fall 2021
Taught lab sections, implementing activities designed by course instructors.
Prepared and presented short lectures introducing each lab topic.
Facilitated student learning with lab activities, including use of rock and fossil samples, and basic experimental set-ups.
COLL-C 105 Weather and You | Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Fall 2020
Assisted with virtual instruction and grading of homework and exams.
Students Supervised
External PhD Committee Member
Kupchella, Stephen. Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, 2024 – present
Undergraduate Students
Yahav, Itamar. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 2024 – present
Ricker, Carmen. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 2024 – present
Yuhas, Avalon. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 2023 – 2024
Edie, Riley. Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 2019 – 2021
Hicks, Elizabeth. Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 2019 – 2020
Grants & Fellowships
External
Vertebrate Paleontology Collection Study Grant | Burke Museum, 2024
Research funds for travel to the paleontology collections in Burke Museum in Seattle, WA.
Charles A. & June R.P. Ross Research Grant | Geological Society of America, 2022
Research funds granted for travel to museum collections and microCT scanning.
Student Research Grant | Paleontological Society, 2022
Research funds granted for travel to museum collections and 3D scanning of fossils.
Graduate Student Research Grant | Geological Society of America, 2020
Research funds granted for travel to museum collections and microCT scanning.
University of Michigan
Turner Award | Department of Earth and Environmental Science, 2025
Research funds for travel to museum collections
Indiana University
Dissertation Research Fellowship | College of Arts and Sciences, 2022 – 2023
Stipend for one academic year given to assist with completion of PhD dissertation.
Provost’s Travel Award for Women in Science | College of Arts and Sciences, 2019
Financial support for travel to Slicermorph workshop in Friday Harbor, WA.
Galloway/Perry/Horowitz Fellowship | Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, 2018 – 2019
Stipend for one academic year given to assist with completion of master’s thesis.
McCormick Science Grant | College of Arts and Sciences, 2022
Research funds granted for travel to museum collections and 3D scanning of fossils.
Grant-in-Aid | Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, 2020 & 2022
Research funds granted for travel to museum collections and 3D scanning of fossils.
Invited Talks
University of Michigan. “Bridging the Past and Present of Mammalian Locomotion”. Dinner Talk for Michigan Society of Fellows. February 18, 2025.
University of Michigan. “Bridging the Past and Present of Mammalian Locomotion”. Smith Lecture for Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. September 13, 2024.
North American Paleontological Convention. “Speed or Endurance: What is the ecological advantage of cursoriality in carnivorans?” Keynote for Symposium on the Paleobiology of Carnivorans. June 21, 2024.
University of Texas at Austin. “Lumbar Vertebrae and Locomotion in Paleogene Mammals” Paleoseminar, February 1, 2024.
Creswell Crags (archaeological museum in Nottinghamshire, UK) “Unlocking Ancient Mammal Spines Using Virtual Paleontology” Online Talk Series, June 19, 2023.
Service & Outreach
Academic Service
Guest Editor for Journal of Paleontology (Special Issue on John Day Fossil Beds National Monument)
Peer Review for Journals
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology
Proceedings of the Royal Society B
Journal of Evolutionary Biology
PLOS Biology
Other Peer Review
External Review of Research for College of Charleston Tenure Process
Graduate Women in Science National Fellowship Program
Independent Outreach
Video Tutorial Creator | YouTube, June 2020 – present
Created video tutorials on 3D data for organismal biologists and paleontologists
Demonstrated tools in free 3D imaging software: 3D Slicer, Blender, and Meshlab
University of Michigan
Conference Organizer | 2024 North American Paleontological Convention, 2023 – 2024
Assisted with conference scheduling and planning
Guided visitors and answered questions during conference
Collections Guide | 2024 Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, 2024
Led tours through the University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology collections.
Created fossil display centered around reptiles and amphibian fossils.
Indiana University Bloomington Bloomington, IN
Crossroads Conference Chair | Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, 2019 & 2022
Contacted alumni and department associates to visit and judge.
Coordinated committee to accept abstracts, prepare programs, order food, etc.
Science Fest Station Leader | Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, 2017 & 2018
Worked with collections to select fossils for display.
Set up fossil dig station and interacted with visitors.
Children’s Museum of Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN
Preparation Lab Volunteer, 2017 – 2020
Science Museum of Minnesota St. Paul, MN
Fossil Station Volunteer, 2016 – 2017
Workshops
Kort, A. E. Open-Source Software for 3D Data, North American Paleontological Convention. 2024.
Kort, A. E. Basics of Digital Preparation with Open Source Software, Association of Materials & Methods in Paleontology. 2024.
Maga, A. M. and Kort, A. E. Digital Morphology and Shape Analysis with Slicermorph, Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Annual Meeting, Toronto, ON, Canada. 2022.
Kort, A. E. Center for Biological Research Collections (CBRC) Museum Object Photogrammetry, Center for Biological Research Collections, Indiana University Bloomington, IN. June 2022 and September 2022.
Kort, A. E., Smith, A., Lierz, C., and Hughes, H. Practical Guidelines for STEM Lab Associate Instructors, Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN. August 2021 and 2022.
Kort, A. E. Basics of Digital Preparation with Open-Source Software, Association for Materials and Methods in Paleontology Annual Meeting, online. April 2021.
Professional Development
Science Communication Fellows Program | University of Michigan, Fall 2024 – Spring 2025
Program designed on the NSF Portal to the Public framework. Designed activity on research for public audiences, primarily visitors to the University of Michigan Natural History Museum.
LSA Teaching Academy | University of Michigan, Fall 2023 – Spring 2024
Participated in a series of workshops on pedagogy throughout the academic year. Completed a mid-semester evaluation with the Center for Research in Teaching and Learning.
Graduate Teaching Apprenticeship Program | Indiana University, Spring 2018 – Fall 2022
Completed “Practioner” level requirements by 1.) Attending pedagogy workshops, 2.) Creating teaching materials including syllabus, and 3.) Leading Associate Instructor Orientation workshops on teaching STEM labs.
Slicermorph 3D Morphometrics Workshop | University of Washington, August 2019
Attended intensive week-long workshop on using 3D Slicer and Slicermorph for morphometrics and analysis of 3D data.
Awards and Achievements
Galloway/Perry/Horowitz Academic Achievement Award, 2023
Taylor & Francis Award for Best Student Article in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 2022
Life is a Ride (Department Service) Scholarship, 2022
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Honorable Mention, 2019
Segal Americorp Education Award, 2018 – 2019
Conference Presentations
Kort, A. E., Rhoda, D. P., Lopezalles, S. M., & Wimberly, A. N. Combining morphological and movement data shows cursorial mammals move farther. American Society of Mammalogists Annual Meeting, 2025.
Kinney, K., Kort, A. E., Thomas, L., Kassem, A., and Thompson, C.W. Morphological variation in pectoral girdles of deer mice (genus Peromyscus). American Society of Mammalogists Annual Meeting, 2025.
Yahav, I. & Kort, A. E. Uncovering evolutionary patterns through unsupervised machine learning clustering of mammalian lumbar vertebrae. Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program Symposium, 2025.
Ricker, C. & Kort, A. E. Testing locomotor categorization in mustelids. University of Michigan Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program Symposium, 2025.
Kupchella, S., Kort, A. E., & Phifer-Rixey, M. Morphological variation among urban and rural populations of wild house mice. Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Annual Meeting, 2025.
Kort, A. E. Finding ecological analogues for an extinct clade: The pelvic anatomy of hyaenodonts in comparison to extant mammals. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Annual Meeting, 2024.
Kort, A. E., Lopezalles, S., & Famoso, N. A. Speed or Endurance: What is the ecological advantage of cursoriality in carnivorans? North American Paleontological Convention, 2024
Yuhas, A. & Kort, A. E. Changes in mammalian locomotion across the PETM, observed through changes in the calcaneus. University of Michigan Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program Symposium, 2024.
Talbott, K., Monroe, M., Kort, A. E., & Orcutt, J. D. Dentition and diet in Wyoming oxyaenids. Cordilleran and Rocky Mountain Section Meeting, 2024.
Kort, A. E. 2023. Functional diversification of lumbar vertebrae in Paleogene mammals. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Annual Meeting, 2023.
Kort, A. E. 2023. Testing the function of interlocking zygapophyses in lumbar vertebrae of early placental mammals. Society of Integrative Biology Annual Meeting, 2023
Kort, A. E. 2022. Bizarre Backbones: A Synapomorphy in the Lumbar Vertebrae for Ferungulata. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Annual Meeting, 2022.
Kort, A. E., Motz, G., & Rountrey, A. 2022. Cost effective 3D digitization using photogrammetry (Discussion session). Digital Data Conference, 2022, Online.
Kort, A. E., Edie, R. A., & Polly, P. D. 2021. XRCT scans reveal unusual characteristics of lumbar vertebrae in extinct mammals. Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, 2021.
Edie, R. A., Kort, A. E., & Polly, P. D. 2020. Shape gradient across the lumbar vertebrae reflects locomotor style in mammals. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Annual Meeting, 2020.
Kort, A. E., Hicks, E. K., & Smiley, T. M. 2020. The beginner’s guide to 3D data processing: A pipeline for computed tomography (CT) data. Digital Data Conference, 2020, Online.
Kort, A. E. 2019. An Early 'Cat Gap'? An evaluation of oxyaenids as ecological analogues of felids. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Annual Meeting, 2019.
Kort, A. E. & Famoso, N. A. 2019. Updating prospecting practices with GIS at John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, 2019.
Kort, A. E. & Famoso, N. A. 2018. The evolution of carnivoran hunting styles at John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, 2018.
Kort, A. E. & Polly, P. D. 2018. Niche Differentiation in Eocene Carnivores: Unique Lumbar Specializations in the Oxyaenid Patriofelis. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Annual Meeting, 2018.
Fox, D. L., Kort, A. E., & McNulty, K. P. 2018. Species recognition and testing niche conservatism of Perognathus (Rodentia: Heteromyidae) during the latest Pleistocene and Holocene of the southern Great Plains, U.S.A. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Annual Meeting, 2018.
Longar, A. E., McNulty, K. P., Keller, J. S., Mitchell, J. N., & Fox, D. L., 2015. Distinguishing sister species of Perognathus (Mammalia, Rodentia) using landmark geometric morphometrics of mandibular shape. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Annual Meeting, 2015.
Longar, A. E., Keller, J. S., McNulty, K. P., Fox, D. L., & Mitchell, J. N., 2015. Parsing populations using morphology: 3D mandibles landmarks separate sister species of pocket mice (Mammalia: Rodentia). Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, 2015