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Lauren Gonzales

Gonzales 2

Lauren Gonzales, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Center for Anatomical Sciences
College of Biomedical and Translational Sciences
UNT Health Fort Worth
Ft. Worth, TX 76107
Lauren.Gonzales@unthealth.edu

Ph.D. Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University (2015).
M.A. Biological Anthropology, New Mexico State (2009).
B.A. Forensic Science, Baylor University (2006).

Postdoctoral Research:
Florida Museum of Natural History (2016-2017)
Duke University (2015-2016)

Curriculum Vitae
Gonzales Lab Website

Research

My research program is aimed at understanding how and when key changes in primate sensory anatomy occurred during primate and anthropoid evolution. My approach uses comparative anatomy (via CT scans) and ecology of living animals as a reference to reconstruct the functional and adaptive implications of anatomical and behavioral changes in extinct species. Currently, this work centers on two primary areas of study: the semicircular canals of the inner ear and the evolution of the brain.

I am also a field paleontologist with two research sites in Peru (Peruvian Amazonia) and Kenya (Maboko Island). These sites are aimed at recovering primate and vertebrate fossils during the Middle Miocene. Both localities document a critical period known as the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum (MMCO), a brief period of global warming followed by a sharp drop in temperatures and increased aridification. At this time many modern taxa, including primates and rodents, make a first appearance. As part of this work, my lab has begun a large mass digitization project aimed at creating a 3-dimensional archive of fossils collected at both sites. The goal is to expand this part of the project into outreach workshops aimed at introducing free digital anatomy collections to rural communities and classrooms.
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Current Projects

  • Paleoneurology and the evolution of the head and neck
  • Maboko Paleontological Research Project
  • South American Paleogeography

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Lauren Gonzales excavation

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Selected Publications

  • Kay, Richard F., Gonzales, L.A., Salenbien, W., Martinez, J.N., Cooke, S.B., Valdivia, L.A., Rigsby, C.A., Baker, P.A. (2019) Parvimico materdei, a new platyrrhine from the Early Miocene of the Amazon Basin, Peru. Journal of Human Evolution. 134: 102628:1-16.
  • Gonzales, L.A., Malinzak, M.D., & Kay, R.F. (2018) Intraspecific semicircular canal variance—a missing element in adaptive scenarios? American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 168: 10-24. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.23692
  • Pampush, J.D., Spradley, J.P., Morse, P.E., Griffith, D.G., Gladman, J.T., Gonzales, L.A., Kay, R.F. (2018) Macrowear induced dental topography dynamics among extant atelines. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. doi.org/10.1093/biolinnean/bly069
  • Boyer, D.M., Kirk, E.C., Silcox, M.T., Gunnell, G.F., Gilbert, C.C.,Yapuncich, G.S., Allen, K.L., Welch, W., Bloch, J.I., Gonzales, L.A., Kay, R.F., Seiffert, E.R. (2016) Internal carotid arterial canal size and scaling in Euarchonta: re-assessing implications for arterial patency and phylogenetic relationships in early fossil primates. Journal of Human Evolution. 97, 123-144.
  • Gonzales, L.A., Benefit, B.R., McCrossin, M.L., Spoor, F. 2015. Cerebral complexity preceded enlarged brain size and reduced olfactory bulbs in Old World monkeys. Nature Communications 6.
  • Allen, K.L., Cook, S.B., Gonzales, L.A., Kay, R.F. 2015. Evaluation of upper molar occlusal morphology for dietary inference in mid- to large-bodied Platyrrhini (Primates). PLoS ONE 10(3): e0118732. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0118732
  • Schirtzinger, E.E., Tavares, E.S., Gonzales, L.A., Eberhard, J.R., Miyaji, C.Y., Sanchez, J.J., Hernandez, A., Mueller, H., Graves, G.R., Fleischer, R.C., Wright, T.F. 2012. Multiple independent origins of mitochondrial control region duplications in the order Psittaciformes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 64(2):342-356.

Media

Teaching

At UNT Health, I primarily lecture on the anatomy of special sensory structures in the Musculoskeletal and Skin System 1 (MEDE 7811) and Nervous System 1 (MEDE 7812) courses for osteopathic medical students.  I also contribute to laboratory instruction of dissection-based anatomy to Medical, Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant, and Graduate students.

Courses Taught
  • MEDE 7811: Musculoskeletal and Skin Systems 1 (medical students).
  • MEDE 7812: Nervous System 1 (medical students).
  • MEDE 7615: Cardiopulmonary System 1 (medical students).
  • MEDE 7611: Gastrointestinal & Renal Systems 1 (medical students).
  • MEDE 7715: Reproductive & Endocrine Systems 1 (medical students).
  • DPHT 7200 & 7400: Clinical Anatomy 1 & 2 (physical therapy students).
  • MPAS 5401 & 5208: Clinical Anatomy 1 & 2 (physician assistant students).
  • PHAN 5401: Structural Anatomy (graduate students).

This page was last modified on February 25, 2025