Rate My Professor Mary Schweitzer

Schweitzer's main academic interests lie in molecular paleontology, specifically the preservation, detection, and analysis of endogenous soft tissues, blood vessels, cells, proteins, hemoglobin, and other molecular signals in exceptionally preserved fossils, particularly Mesozoic non-avian dinosaurs and their bird descendants. Her investigations cover molecular diagenesis and taphonomy, environmental factors in fossil preservation, physiological and reproductive strategies in dinosaurs, feather and vascular taphonomy, and astrobiology applications for detecting life signatures. Landmark publications include "Soft-tissue vessels and cellular preservation in Tyrannosaurus rex" (Science, 2005), "Analyses of soft tissue from Tyrannosaurus rex suggest the presence of protein" (Science, 2007), "Protein sequences from mastodon and Tyrannosaurus rex revealed by mass spectrometry" (Science, 2007), "Biomolecular characterization and protein sequences of the Campanian hadrosaur Brachylophosaurus canadensis" (Science, 2009), "Soft tissue preservation in terrestrial Mesozoic vertebrates" (Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 2011), "A role for iron and oxygen chemistry in preserving soft tissues, cells and molecules from deep time" (Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 2014), "Paleontology in the 21st Century" (Biology, 2023), and "Resonance Raman confirms partial haemoglobin preservation in dinosaur remains" (Proceedings of the Royal Society A, 2025). These contributions have pioneered molecular approaches in paleontology, profoundly influencing evolutionary biology, vertebrate taxonomy, and fossil science.