Chrissy Piotrowski is responsible for the care and maintenance of a vast, taxonomically diverse invertebrate research collection (excluding entomology specimens). She oversees all collections-related activities and documentation: acquisitions, curation, taxonomic determinations, loan and exhibit of specimens, research visits, inquiries, and maintenance of an online searchable database of digital specimen records.
Search for Academy curators, collections managers, and research staff working to answer some of the world's most pressing scientific questions.
Collection Manager, Invertebrate Zoology
Marine Invertebrate Collections; Polychaete Systematics
Curator of Entomology, Emeritus
My specialty is the systematics and evolution of solitary wasps family Sphecidae since 1955. In addition to minor papers, I have published essential monographs of Palearctic Tachytes (1962), Palearctic Tachysphex (1971), Palearctic Ammatomus (1973), Neotropical Tachysphex (1974), Australian Tachysphex (1977), Old World Parapiagetia (1977), World Prosopigastra (1979), North American Tachysphex (1988), World Kohliella (1991), World Holotachysphex (1992), World Gastrosericus (1995), African Tachysphex (2007), a book of 698 pages, world Palarini (2008, coauthored with Michael A.
Research Associate, Botany
Systematics, Biogeography, Taxonomy, Malagasy flora
My research interests focus on the taxonomy, systematics and biogeography of the Malagasy flora. I am conducting ongoing research on the St. John’s wort family, Hypericaceae, and the princess flower family, Melastomataceae, and am also investigating the relationships between Malagasy species and closely related groups from mainland Africa and the New World.
Fellow and Research Associate
Zoologist
My research has focused on the behavioral ecology of vertebrates, conservation, and mammalian taxonomy. At the Academy, African small mammal ecology and taxonomy has been my research focus, especially sengis or elephant-shrews. To read more about my active research, please visit www.rathbunX2.com. My early career focused on the conservation of Florida manatees, California sea otters, and several aquatic vertebrates, including California red-legged frogs and Pacific pond turtles.
Curator, Invertebrate Zoology & Geology
Mass Extinctions, Paleocommunity Evolution, Evolutionary Ecology
I am the Curator of Geology, and I've been at the Academy since 1999. I hold degrees in Biology (B.Sc.), Oceanography (M.S.) and Geology (Ph.D.). My research is transdisciplinary, with a focus on understanding the evolution of ecological systems, emphasizing paleontology, deep time, and perspectives on complexity dynamics. Most of my research these days centers around global change biology, and how we can further develop our understanding of Earth's past ecosystems to better forecast our future.
Computational Scientist, Center for Comparative Genomics
I work in the Institute for Biodiversity Science & Sustainability, Center for Comparative Genomics. I provide computing support for our research projects.
Duties:
Collaborate with biologists to apply cutting edge techniques to questions in evolutionary biology. Keep up with relevant literature. Work with large amounts of DNA data to generate phylogenetic trees, metagenomic analyses, and genome level assemblies. Work directly on research projects and publications. Design visualization and computational approaches, including custom coding as needed.
Research Associate, Fellow, Botany
Bryophytes
My ongoing research interests are on moss floristics and basic bryophyte inventory activities. My field work shifted around 1997 from flowering plants to bryophytes with an emphasis in bryogeography through specimen acquisition to expand the diversity of the collections within the CAS herbarium. Thirteen plant species have been named in my honor including seven flowering plants and six mosses including the moss genus Shevockia endemic to Asia.