Biosketch – Justin T. Schaefer, Ph.D.

Undergraduate: BS (1997) – University of California, Santa Barbara
Masters: MSc (2001) – University of Connecticut, Storrs
Doctorate: PhD (2007) – University of California, Irvine
Post-Doctoral Researcher: Brown University

Research emphasis: I study the Mechanical behavior and bio-inspired engineering of repeated-element arrays, mainly focusing on the pectoral fin skeleton and vertebral column of batoid elasmobranchs (rays, skates, and guitarfish). The cumulative effect of small-scale changes in morphology of single elements in repeated-element arrays can cause large-scale behavioral changes of the mechanical system. In batoids, the pectoral fin skeleton, comprised of dozens to thousands of repeated skeletal elements, varies in morphology in correlation to swimming style and phylogeny. Applications of bio-inspired/biomimetic serially repeating arrays could range from lightweight, non-oscillating bridge pavement to ‘smart meshes’ for human protective clothing.

Biography:  I was raised in a military family, resulting in seeing and experiencing much of the country as a child. Always fascinated with animals, I spent many hours looking for fossils in Ohio or skeletons in the deserts of California. A temporary job after college as a technician in an experimental cosmology lab at UC Santa Barbara awakened my love of physics. After a Masters program at UConn, I learned I could combine my love of physics and organismal biology in the field of comparative biomechanics and functional morphology.
            In my free time, I pursue my hobbies of martial arts, spear-fishing, and working on my 1971 Chevelle SS, Betty-Lou.

 

Click on the link below for a PDF of my full CV