COLLECTIONS/RESEARCH




 

Division of Invertebrate Zoology
American Museum of Natural History
Central Park West at 79^th Street
New York, NY 10024-5192
U.S.A.
Tel.:    212-769-5843
Fax.:    212-769-5277
lorenzo@amnh.org
http://scorpion.amnh.org

Education: B. Sc., Botany, Zoology, 1994, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg; B. Sc. (Hons), Zoology, 1995, University of Cape Town; Ph. D., Zoology, 2001, University of Cape Town. 

Appointments: Assistant Curator (Arachnids and Myriapods), Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York (2002–). 

Adjunct Appointments: Adjunct Professor, Department of Biology, City University of New York (2003–); Adjunct Professor, Department of Entomology, Cornell University (2004–); Research Associate, Transvaal Museum of Natural History, Pretoria (2004–). 

Research Interests: My primary research interests lie in the empirical study of phylogeny, macroevolution, speciation, biogeography, and comparative evolutionary biology, using scorpions and minor arachnid orders (Amblypygi,  Uropygi, Solifugae and Schizomida) as model organisms. One of my current research projects is a rigorous global phylogeny of the Scorpiones, using morphology and DNA. Besides investigating phylogenetic relationships among the major lineages of scorpions, I have specific interests in revisionary systematics, particularly of the Afrotropical and Nearctic scorpion faunas. I am PI on the REVSYS Vaejovidae grant (http://www.vaejovidae.com). I am also developing a research program into the systematics of other, poorly known arachnid orders, notably Amblypygi, Uropygi, Schizomida, and  Solifugae, and serve on the ATOL Phylogeny of Spiders project (http://research.amnh.org/atol/files/) in this capacity.