Staff Scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama
I am Staff Scientist at STRI and Distinguished Researcher at SNI (SENACYT).
I’m interested in exploring the drivers of biological change through major events in the history of life, the most recent being the arrival and pervasive impacts of humans. Research in my group integrates diverse approaches to explore some key questions:
How do environmental shifts drive evolutionary and ecological changes over deep time? Using the rich marine fossil record of Tropical America, we investigate how species, their diets and life histories are able to adapt (or not) to changing climates. This work reveals how processes like extinction unfold within specific ecological and environmental contexts, providing insights into biological responses to change.
What was the natural state of tropical coral reefs before human influence and when and why did they degrade? By analysing a diverse toolkit of fossil evidence – coral skeletons, mollusk shells, fish otoliths, shark dermal denticles, and sponge spicules, and stable isotopes – alongside archaeological and modern collections, my group reconstructs ancient reef ecosystems. This work illuminates the baseline conditions and natural variability of reefs, and aims to uncover how reefs function ecologically.
How can past events revealed by the fossil record help us prepare for future environmental challenges? By studying how ecosystems responded to past changes, we can better understand what makes them resilient and vulnerable — essential for protecting marine biodiversity and food resources in our changing world.
Finally, I am passionate about sharing science with broad audiences and write popular books about paleontology and natural history such as A History of Life in 100 fossils and La Historia Natural del Istmo de Panama, as well as children’s books, like Martina and the Bridge of Time, which bring scientific concepts to kids via engaging storytelling.
O'Dea Lab 
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