About

Erin M. Dillon, PhD

Earl S. Tupper Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama  

Research Themes: conservation paleobiology, marine historical ecology, paleoecology, community ecology, sharks, coral reefs

I am an Earl S. Tupper Postdoctoral Research Fellow working in Dr. Aaron O’Dea’s marine tropical paleoecology lab at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. I received my PhD in Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2022.

My research draws from the fields of conservation paleobiology, paleoecology, historical ecology, and community ecology. My PhD dissertation developed a new paleoecological tool—shark scale assemblages accumulating in the fossil record—to explore the causes and ecological consequences of millennial-scale change in shark communities on coral reefs. More broadly, I integrate paleobiological, ecological, and historical data to reconstruct the temporal dynamics of top predators in coral reef ecosystems and guide their management.

I serve on the steering committees of the Conservation Paleobiology Network and PAGES Q-MARE working group, through which I strive to strengthen the connections between paleontological research and conservation practice. I’m also involved in the development team of the Palaeoverse computational paleobiology community project.

I am an avid proponent of science communication, and I use blog posts, social media, and art as platforms for telling stories about ecological change. I also mentor high school and undergraduate students in research and professional development activities.