Jonathan Geisler is an Assistant Professor of Geology in the Department of Geology and Geography and Curator of Paleontology at the Georgia Southern Museum. In 1995, he received a B.S. in Geology and a B.A. in Biology from the College of Charleston. He received his Ph.D. in Earth and Environmental Sciences from Columbia University in 2001.

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Teaching
He is currently teaching a course on dinosaurs. Students are learning scientific methods and how they have been applied to two major controversies in dinosaur paleontology: 1) the origin of birds, and 2) the cause of the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs. Jonathan also teaches Invertebrate Paleontology, which he has revamped to focus on paleontological methods and their applications in geology. He also teaches physical geology labs.

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Research
Jonathan Geisler’s primary research interest is the origin and evolution of Cetacea (the group including whales, dolphins, and porpoises). He has collected numerous fossil cetaceans from South Carolina, and he is currently prospecting for similar localities in the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Jonathan is also studying the skeleton of the primitive whale Georgiacetus, one of the best-preserved primitive whales in the world. It was excavated under the leadership of Drs. Richard Petkewich and Gale Bishop, and it is housed in the collections of the Georgia Southern Museum. Jonathan will pick up where Dr. Richard Hulbert left off. Dr. Hulbert, a former Georgia Southern University faculty member, was the first author and lead scientist on the description and study of this early whale.
One the major ongoing controversies in vertebrate paleontology is the origin of whales. Jonathan has studied the anatomy of primitive whales and hoofed mammals in an attempt to resolve this problem. Although the debate is far from over, Jonathan has found evidence supporting the claim by molecular biologists that the hippopotamus is closely related to whales, dolphins, and porpoises. He has also published studies on the evolution of underwater hearing and diving adaptations in whales.
In addition to studying whales, Jonathan has also worked with Dr. Nancy Simmons on the origin, evolution, and systematics of bats. They have used their database on bats to address methodological problems encountered in reconstructing evolutionary relationships.

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Recent Publications

Geisler, J.H. 2004. Humeri of Oligoscalops (Proscalopidae, Mammalia) from the Oligocene of Mongolia, Chapter 13. In G.C. Gould and S.K. Bell (eds.) Tributes to Malcolm McKenna: His Students, His Legacy. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 285: 166-176.

Geisler, J.H., and A.E. Sanders. 2003. Morphological evidence for the phylogeny of Cetacea. Journal of Mammalian Evolution 10: 23-129.

Asher, R. J., Novacek, M.J., and J.H. Geisler. 2003. Relationships of Endemic African Mammals and Their Fossil Relatives Based on Morphological and Molecular Evidence. Journal of Mammalian Evolution 10: 131-194.

Minjin, B., Chuluun, M., and J.H. Geisler. 2003. A report of triconodont mammal jaw from Ooosh, an Early Cretaceous locality in Mongolia. Geology (publication of Mongolian University of Science and Technology, Institute of Geology) 9: 89-93.

Geisler, J.H., and M.D. Uhen. 2003. Morphological support for a close relationship between hippo and whales. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 23(4): 991-996.

Geisler, J.H. 2001. New morphological evidence for the phylogeny of Artiodactyla, Cetacea, and Mesonychidae. American Museum Novitates 3344: 1-53.

Simmons, N.B., and J.H. Geisler. 1998. Phylogenetic relationships of Icaronycteris, Archaeonycteris, Hassianycteris, and Palaeochiropteryx to extant bat lineages, with comments on the evolution of echolocation and foraging strategies in Microchiroptera. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 235: 1-182.

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