People

The people that do the stuff

Kieran ("KEER-in") McNulty

Professor and Department Head
Ecology Evolution and Behavior
100B Ecology Building
University of Minnesota
[email protected]

KMMA-CAITHS

Dr. Kieran McNulty wearing headgear to examine something small he is holding in his hands

graduate students

ABBEY ("AB-ee") HALL
(she/her/hers)

Abbey Hall sitting smiling from behind a computer

Abbey's work concerns the composition of fossil mammal communities as it reflects environmental, chronologic, and biogeographic factors. She is focusing on Early Miocene mammals from Rusinga and Mfangano Islands to interpret their evolving community structures over ca. 3 million years of fossiliferous sediments in that geological sequence.

SAMUEL ("SAM-wel") MUTETI
(he/him/his)

Samuel Muteti crouching on rocks and smiling softly

Samuel's research focuses on evolution of crown hominoids at Middle Miocene fossil sites in the Nyanza Rift of Kenya. He directs research at several sites in the Nyakach and Maboko Formations, and is a Co-PI at Kisingiri sites, Maboko Island, and Fort Ternan. Samuel is also acting Head of Paleontology at the National Museums of Kenya.

PENINA ("pə-NEE-nuh") KADALIDA
(she/her/hers)

Penina Kadalida from the waist up smiling and formally dressed at the AABA in Reno, Nevada, for the Leakey Foundation Grantees Gathering

Penina’s research centers on craniofacial anatomy and evolutionary change in early members of the genus Homo (Homo Habilis, Homo rudolfensis, and Homo erectus). Her work integrates comparative anatomy of the living apes and fossil remains, digital imaging, and quantitative analysis to study the factors that influence variation and evolutionary relationships among these members. She is currently developing her dissertation research to study this complex topic. Penina is co-advised by Dr. Martha Tappen.

Outside of research, Penina leads science outreach and academic mentorship for women and students from underrepresented backgrounds, including founding the non-profit Cradle of Resilience and co-founding the African Paleosciences Student Society.

EMMANUEL ("ee-MAN-yoo-el") NGETICH
(he/him/his)

Emmanuel is aiming to research migration patterns and genetic variation in eastern African populations from the Late Pleistocene to the Holocene. He is co-advised by Dr. Maria Nieves Colón and will be developing his research proposal over the next few years focusing on populations in western Kenya.

RISA ("REE-suh") LAMA-LUTHER
(she/her/hers)

Risa Lama-Luther from the waste up smiling and holding a skull

Risa's interests center on catarrhine adaptive evolution, focusing on dietary signals inferable across the adult lifespan of an organism. Her research combines dental topographic analysis with surface shape segmentation to differentiate macroscopic tooth wear associated with distinct dietary behaviors.

MADELAINE ("MAD-uh-lin") WALKER
(she/her/hers)

Madelaine Walker from the neck up smiling in front of scenic view

Madelaine's interests relate to the interactions among diet, life history, and environment, and what they can tell us about primate paleobiology. She is currently developing her dissertation research topic around a theme of comparative life histories in Early Miocene catarrhines.

Shillelagh & Saoirse (both brown, black, and white patterned dogs) laying down and looking at camera with front paws laying on open books

AFFILIATED RESEARCHERS
(shes/hers/theirs)

The primary area of research for Shillelagh (shuh-LAY-lee) and Saoirse (SEER-shuh) is small mammal behavior, focusing particularly on Sciduridae and Leporidae. They secondarily specialize in early warning mechanisms for defense against hostile elements such as deer, plastic bags, and neighbors.

undergraduate researchers

A makeshift emoji with short brown hair wearing lab goggles and smiling

YOUR FACE HERE?

McNulty Lab doesn't currently have any active undergraduate researchers. If you're interested in the kind of work we're doing then get in touch! We'd love to hear about your interests and goals.