Sam Ocon
“I have always loved being outdoors, and fossil hunting just gives me an excuse to be outside. Plus, finding a fossil means that you’re the first being to lay eyes on this organism for millions of years!”
Ph.D. Student (2023-)
M.S. Student (2020-2022)
M.S. West Virginia University, 2022
B.S. University of Florida, 2020
Sam hails from the swamps of Gainesville, FL, where they received their B.S. in Geology from the University of Florida. Sam has known that they wanted to study paleontology from the young age of two, and as a result, has a diverse paleontological background in foraminifera, ancient cats & dogs, arthropods, and science communication. Sam’s research interests include Paleozoic chelicerates and their evolutionary response to environmental perturbations. When they are not thinking about fossils, Sam enjoys hiking, knitting, and playing video games.
M.S. Thesis title: Examining evolutionary rate in Xiphosura.
In 2020 Sam was featured in the Eberly College News article "Unlocking the history of life on Earth" about their research project which focuses on calculating the evolutionary rate of different types of horseshoe crabs
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