Jennifer Clack, Ph.D., is a Reader in Vertebrate Paleontology and a Senior Assistant Curator at the University of Cambridge's Museum of Zoology. She studies the "fish - tetrapod" transition - the origin, evolutionary development and radiation of early tetrapods and their relatives among the lobe-finned fish. Her research interests include: the timing and sequence of skeletal and other changes which occurred during the transition from water to land., the origin and relationships of the diverse tetrapods of the Late Palaeozoic and the origins of the modern radiations of tetrapods.

Clack received a B.Sc. in Zoology from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1970, and a Ph.D. from the University in 1984. She also holds a Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies from the University of Leicester and a M.A. from the University of Cambridge.

How did you choose your present profession?

Having done my first degree, I went into museum work for seven years. After this I had the opportunity to go back to University and do a Ph.D. degree -- something I had always wanted to do. I never expected I would actually get a job in palaeontology at the end of it; I expected to go back into local museums. However, I got the best of both worlds, and got a job in a museum doing palaeontology!

What would you recommend for students wanting to pursue a similar career?

Persistence!

What do you like best about your profession?

Working with fossils!

What web sites and references would you recommend for viewers interested in your work that was featured inThe Shape of Life series?

Acanthostega from the University of Arizona's Tree of Life

Home

|

Episodes

|

Explorations

|

Animals

|

Image Guide

|

Resources

|

About

|

Glossary

|

Site Map

 
© 2002 Sea Studios Foundation. All rights reserved.