Prof. Dr. Anna Akhmanova
Biological and related sciences Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Microscopy
Biological and related sciences , Environment
Vertebrate Paleontology, Evolutionary Developmental Biology
I am interested in the evolution and development of vertebrate body plans and the relationship between ontogeny and phylogeny throughout the evolutionary history of tetrapods (animals with four extremities). Specifically, my main research focus is on the evolutionary and developmental biology of amphibians combining data from the fossil record and extant taxa to gain a broad perspective for the evolutionary history of amphibians through deep time. Thereby I seek to understand the evolution of developmental pathways and the acquisition of the derived morphologies seen in the modern taxa, which will ultimately help to elucidate the controversial origins of the three modern amphibian groups.
Emmy Noether Junior Research Group of the German Research Foundation (DFG)12/2012
Co-PI, Research and Exploration Grant of the National Geographic Society (19.445 $US): "The enigmatic Omphalosaurus and the diversification of marine reptiles." 09/2010
Research Fellowship of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) [Postdoctoral funding]03/2009 – 04/2011
Feodor-Lynen Research Fellowship for postdoctoral researchers of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (not accepted)03/2009 -04/2011
Nomination by the Department of Biology, McGill University for the Prix d'excellence de l'Association des doyens des études supérieures au Québec 02/2009
Nomination by the Department of Biology, McGill University for the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies Distinguished Dissertation Award 02/2009
Principal investigator & main organizer, Research and Exploration Grant of the National Geographic Society: "The marine vertebrate fauna of the Middle Triassic of Nevada." 01/2008
Student travel award of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology for participation a the 67th Annual meeting in Austin, Texas 07/2007
Delise Allison Graduate Student Development Award to attend the 8th International Congress of Vertebrate Morphology, Paris July 2007
Alfred Sherwood Romer Prize of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology 21/10/2006
T.E. Bolton Award for best student presentation at the 16th Canadian Paleontology Conference 10/16/2006
GTC Travel Award, Department of Biology, McGill University 10/2005
Samuel P. and Doris Welles Research Fund of the Paleontological Museum, University of California, Berkeley 05/2005
Research grant of the ?Frauenförderung?, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms University Bonn for research visits at the collections of the Paleontological Museum, University of California, Berkeley and the Field Museum, Chicago 10/2002
Student bursary of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology, Drumheller, Alberta, Canada 08/2002
Full scholarship of the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) for two semesters as a visiting student at the University of Calgary, Canada 09/1999-04/2000
English, German
Fröbisch, N. B., Fröbisch, J., Sander, P. M., Schmitz, L. & Rieppel, O. (2013). Macropredatory ichthyosaur from the Middle Triassic and the origin of modern trophic networks. PNAS 110(4): 1393-1397.
Fröbisch, N.B. & N.H. Shubin. (2011). Salamander limb development: Integrating genes, morphology, and and fossils. Developmental Dynamics 240(5), 1087-1099.
Fröbisch, N. B., Olori, J. C., Schoch, R. R. & Witzmann, F. (2010). Amphibian ontogeny in the fossil record. Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology 21:424-431.
Anderson, J. S., Reisz, R. R., Scott, D., Fröbisch, N.B. & Sumida, S. S. (2008). A stem batrachian from the Early Permian of Texas and the origin of frogs and salamanders. Nature 453: 515-518.
Fröbisch, N. B., Carroll R. L. & Schoch, R. R. (2007). Limb ossification in the Paleozoic branchiosaurid Apateon (Temnospondyli) and the early evolution of preaxial dominance in tetrapod limb development. Evolution & Development 9(1): 69-75.
Schoch, R. R. & Fröbisch, N. B. (2006). Metamorphosis and neoteny: alternative pathways in an extinct amphibian clade. Evolution 60 (7): 1467-1475.
Emmy Noether project: Amphibian origin(s) and evolution through deep time: integrating the fossil record, morphology, and development
The marine reptiles of the Middle Triassic of Nevada
Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (since 1997)
Paläontologische Gesellschaft (since 2000)
International Society of Vertebrate Morphology (since 2007)
03/2012 ScienceLive 'The science of tiny critters', live chat for Science magazine: http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2012/03/live-chat-the-science-of-small-c.html?ref=topst
10/14/2010 'Die Erfolgsgeschichte der Meeresdrachen', Berliner Zeitung
06/2010 National Geographic Television, Naked Science 'Prehistoric Jaws' – TV show
04/2009 National Geographic Society Wild Chronicles 'The Life Aquatic' – TV show
Stokstad, E. 2007. Snapshots from the meeting – Hopping towards frogs. Science 318: 1237.
Stokstad, E. 2006. Snapshots from the meeting – Amphibian development. Science 314: 921.
Press associated with the paper Anderson, Reisz, Scott, Fröbisch & Sumida (2008) in Nature was featured (among others) in the Toronto Star, National Geographic, CBC, FOX news, The Canadian Press, The Boston Globe, the Calgary Sun, Reuter UK, Scientific American, and Spektrum der Wissenschaft
Press associated with the paper Fröbisch et al. (2013) in PNAS was featured (among others) in:
http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2013/01/scienceshot-the-first-sea-monste.html?rss=1
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-20130107,0,4903546.story
Two daughters, born 13.8.2009 (4 months of parental leave) and 27.2.2012 (7 months of parental leave)
You can only see the contact information of the academics in the database if you are a registered user of AcademiaNet.
Please register here
Please download the brochure "No more excuses" and read more about female experts in Europe, and about AcademiaNet.
Biological and related sciences Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Microscopy
Biological and related sciences , HealthCell Biology, Cellular signaling, Cancer biology, Cancer therapy
Biological and related sciences Evolutionary biology, Evolutionary genetics
Biological and related sciences Molecular biology, molecular microbiology, biochemistry, membrane protein biochemistry