Maria McNamara

Maria Eithne McNamara is an Irish palaeontologist. She is Professor of Palaeobiology at University College Cork.[3][4]

Maria McNamara
Born1980 (1980) (age 43)
Clonmel, Ireland[1]
NationalityIrish
Alma materUniversity College Dublin
AwardsHodson Fund of the Palaeontological Association[2]
Scientific career
FieldsPalaeontology
InstitutionsUniversity College Cork
ThesisComparative taphonomy of lacustrine-hosted exceptional faunas from the Miocene of NE Spain (2007)

McNamara's research focuses on the preservation of soft tissues in the fossil record, fossil colour, and feather evolution.

Life and work

McNamara obtained her undergraduate degree at the University of Galway in 2002. In 2007 she was awarded a PhD by University College Dublin (UCD) in 2007 with a thesis focusing on taphonomy.[3] After a two year postdoc at UCD, McNamara spent a year as a geopark geologist at the Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark.[5] She returned to academia in 2009 after being awarded a Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellow at Yale University.[5] In 2012 McNamara did further postdoctoral research on feather coloration at the University of Bristol, and in 2013 she was given the position of lecturer at University College Cork (UCC).[3]

In 2016 McNamara was one of the eight women to be painted by Vera Klute in honour of being the recipient of European Research Council Starter Grants. The painting is on permanent exhibition at the Royal Irish Academy.[6] McNamara became professor at UCC in 2020.[3]

McNamara also does public outreach of science and has hosted exhibits, science festivals, and conferences.[7][8] She has also appeared on RTE's documentary The Island.[9]

Accolates

Selected publications
  • M.E. McNamara, V. Rossi, T.S. Slater, C.S. Rogers, A.-L. Ducrest, S. Dubey, A. Roulin, 2021. Decoding the evolution of melanin in vertebrates. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 36(5): 430-443.
  • M.E. McNamara, 2016. Fossilization of melanosomes via sulfurization. Palaeontology 56(3): 337-350.
  • M.E. McNamara, 2013. The taphonomy of colour in fossil insects and feathers. Palaeontology 56(3): 557-575.
  • M.E. McNamara, 2012. The original colours of fossil beetles. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 279(1731): 1114-1121.

References
  1. "My Weekend: My job can be really busy so I appreciate the countryside". echolive.ie. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  2. "Medal and Award Winners List". palass.org. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  3. "Prof. Maria McNamara". ucc.ie. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  4. "Dr Maria McNamara". icrag-centre.org. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  5. "Maria McNamara". ocrid.org. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  6. "Women on Walls". ria.ie. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  7. "Annual Meeting 2022 - Cork, Ireland: Overview". palass.org. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  8. "Ireland's Fossil Heritage". ucc.ie. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  9. "NEW! Maria features in the new RTE documentary "The Island"". ucc.ie. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
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