During my professional career I have had the privilege to work in many different research groups. Alan S. Horowitz and N. Gary Lane were my PhD advisors, mentors, and close friends until their deaths. Chris Maples was one my early students who became a professional colleague for many years. In later years, my research expanded beyond paleontology in work coauthored with Sarah Carmichael. Students include Aubry DeReuil, Cameron Batchelor, Lyndsie White, Bonnie Nguyen, Olivia Paschall, Allison Dombrowski, Jacqui Foronda, and Cara Cywinski among others. Many of these students worked with Sarah and me in the DAGGER Research Group at Appalachian State University.

Our early work in China would not have been possible without Hou Hong-fei, Wang Jin-xing, Liao Zhou-ting and Liu, Lu-jon. Later work in Mongolia similarly would not have been possible without Ariunchimeg Yarinpil, Sersmaa Gonchigdorj, and Ariuntogos Munkhjargal. European colleagues and field compatriots include Thomas Suttner, Erika Kido and Peter Koeningshof.

I have conducted international fieldwork for 41 years (and counting) starting in Ireland in 1982 during The Troubles.  Our best locality was on the border between the Republic and Northern Ireland and we were stopped by British army patrols.

Highlights include:

-- 12 trips to China between 1987 - 2015.  Fieldwork delayed because of Tiananmen Square (1989).  Fieldwork cancelled when the US bombed the Chinese embassy in Belgrade (1999).

-- 7 trips (and counting) to Mongolia since 2011. Latest in 2022.

-- Additional fieldwork in England, Ireland, Germany, France, Russia (Moscow Basin, Urals and Siberia), Indonesia, Morocco, and Tanzania. Submersible dives in Roatan to 2000’ in the Idabel, Karl Stanley’s DIY submarine.

--36 grants or contracts providing almost continuous financial support during my career from the National Science Foundation, National Geographic, UNESCO, American Chemical Society, State and Local governments in Georgia, private foundations,  and the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in The Netherlands.  Participant in grants funded by the European Union and the German National Science Foundation. I am listed as Senior Personnel on a current grant. 

See Photos for 41 years of fieldwork in 40ish photos.