Thomas E. Williamson, Ph.D.
Curator of Paleontology
Email: Thomas Williamson
Website: http://www.unm.edu/~abqtom/
Dr. Thomas Williamson excavating the "Bisti Beast," Bisti/De-na-zin Wilderness Area. Photo courtesy Ray Nelson.
Dr. Thomas Williamson's research activities focus on Late Cretaceous and Paleogene vertebrate paleontology, stratigraphy and biostratigraphy. New Mexico contains one of the most complete records of Late Cretaceous through early Paleocene terrestrial vertebrate faunal succession. Research on this record promises to clarify the evolutionary history, geographic distribution, and diversity of major vertebrate groups leading up to and following the terminal Cretaceous extinction. These activities involve a strong field program based in New Mexico and have resulted in the recovery of numerous significant fossil specimens for the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science.
Dr. Williamson is also engaged in a number of cooperative research activities including "Evaluating the contribution of Late Cretaceous biogeography to earliest Cenozoic biodiversity in North America" collaborative project with Anne Weil (Duke University; NSF EAR 0207750) on Late Cretaceous through early Paleocene terrestrial faunas leading up to and immediately following the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary in northwestern New Mexico and "Tyrannosaurid diversity and distribution in North America in the Late Cretaceous of North America" with Thomas Carr (Carthage College), a study funded by the Jurassic Foundation.
Selected Publications
Williamson, T.E. and Carr, T.D. In Press. "Revision of the problematic early Paleocene genus Oxyclaenus (Mammalia:Oxyclaenidae) and a new species of Carcinodon." Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
Williamson, T.E. and Carr, T.D. 2007. "Bomburia and Ellipsodon (Mammalia, Mioclaenidae) from the early Paleocene of New Mexico": Journal of Paleontology, vol.81 (5), pp.966-985.
Farke, A. and T.E. Williamson. 2006. "A ceratopsid dinosaur parietal from New Mexico and its implications for ceratopsid biogeogreaphy and systematics": Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, vol.26, pp.1018-1020. (PDF)
Carr, T.D. and T.E. Williamson. 2005. "Diversity of Late Maastrichtian Tyrannosauridae (Dinosauria, Theropoda)": Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, v.142, pp.479-523. (PDF)
Clemens, W. A. and Williamson, T. E. 2005. "A new species of Eoconodon (Triisodontidae, Mammalia) from the San Juan Basin, New Mexico": Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, vol.25, pp.208-213. (PDF)
Carr, T. D., Williamson, T. E., and Schwimmer, D. R. 2003. "A new genus and species of tyrannosauroid from the Late Cretaceous (Middle Campanian) Demopolis Formation of Alabama": Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, vol.25, pp.119-143. (PDF)
Williamson, T. E. and Carr, T. D. 2003. "A new genus of derived pachycephalosaurian from western North America": Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, v.22, pp.779-801. (PDF)
Selected Grants
2002. Evaluating the contribution of Late Cretaceous biogeography to earliest Cenozoic biodiversity in North America. A collaborative proposal (in collaboration with Anne Weil, Duke University). National Science Foundation (EAR 0207750).
2002. North American Tyrannosauridae: Phylogeny and Biogeography (With T. D. Carr). Jurassic Foundation.
2000. North American Tyrannosauridae: Phylogeny and Biogeography (with T. D. Carr). Jurassic Foundation. 1999. Revision of the San Juan Basin tyrannosaurids (with T. D. Carr). Jurassic Foundation.
1996. Revision of Lambeosaurine Parasaurolophus (Dinosauria: Hadrosauridae) (with R. M. Sullivan). Dinosaur Society.
