Luis Azevedo Rodrigues, PhD Paleontogy, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid

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My main research focus - theoretical morphology, morphometrics and limb morphospaces, applied in locotion contexts, offered me the experience to work on scientific subjects that implied the analysis of distinct biomechanical models - extinct and extant ,in order to infer locomotion patterns.
During my Ph.D. research I have explored, digested and applied different sources of references covering theoretical and practical aspects of locomotion and biomechanics, in Biological and Paleontological contexts.
I worked, during eight years at the Natural History Museum in Lisbon, at most of the dinosaur tracks in both Portugal and Spain, contributing to the study of locomotion comprehension of sauropod and theropod dinosaurs. For example, at this moment Dr. Vanda Santos and I are finishing the study of a big tracksite, with hundreds of tracks, at western Portugal which reveals group behaviour through the characterization of the parallel trackways.
I have, therefore, experience in working in research contexts that combines locomotion and behavior.
My PhD thesis work revealed trends in limb morphology among bipeds and quadrupeds, and gave me the motivation and experience on combining theoretical models, such as the ones generated by geometric morphometrics and compositional data analysis, and biomechanics, inferred by the morphological changes in the appendicular skeleton of the groups which I have analyzed - Sauropodomorpha, Theropoda, Aves, Chiroptera, Pterosauria, Perissodactyla and Artiodactyla.

Another research focus in my background is the study and analysis of dinosaur tracks, one of the most important sources of behavior in paleontological contexts.
I worked, during eight years at the Natural History Museum, at most of the dinosaur tracks in both Portugal and Spain, contributing to the study of locomotion comprehension of sauropod and theropod dinosaurs.
For example, at this moment Dr. Vanda Santos and I are finishing the study of a big theropod track site, at western Portugal and with hundreds of tracks, which reveals group behavior through the morphological and quantitative characterization of the parallel track ways.
I have, therefore, experience in working in research contexts that combines locomotion and behavior.

I have strong scientific research experience, using both Geometric Morphometrics (2D and 3D) and Compositional Data Analysis (for the first time in this field) as statistical procedures in locomotor performance and morphospaces.
As I demonstrated in my Ph.D. thesis, the morphometric techniques I developed are applicable in any biological or paleontological context. I was invited to work in distinct scientific research areas besides Paleobiology, for example as a member of the Health Research Project “Effects of impact loading physical activity on bone development in girls according pubertal maturation: an observational analysis toward menarche”.
Another example is the project of the Spanish-Portuguese Integrated Action E-12/08, with the first application of these techniques in Theoretical Biology framework.
Although having worked with fossil materials, I have strong experience in practical contexts – I studied and digitized (3D) the collections of more than fifteen Natural History Museums, in four continents, besides doing fieldwork in Patagonia, Spain and Portugal, which gave me enormous pleasure. During my research I came to favour the focus on methodology and its application to limb disparity and locomotion over the paleontological framework.

Visiting Researcher in the following Natural History Museums/Institutions:
Natural History Museum, London, UK. Study and 3D data collecting of Sauropodomorpha collections. March 2007.
Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleonanthropology, Beijing, China. Study and 3D data collecting of Sauropodomorpha collections. October and December 2006.
Zigong Dinosaur Museum, Zigong, Sichuan, China. Study and 3D data collecting of Sauropodomorpha collections. November 2006.
Lufeng Museum, Lufeng, Yunnan, China. Study and 3D data collecting of Sauropodomorpha collections. November 2006.
Chengdu University of Technology Museum, Chengdu, Sichuan, China. Study and 3D data collecting of Sauropodomorpha collections. November 2006.
Museo de Historia Natural - Instituto Miguel Lillo, Universidad de Tucuman, Tucuman, Argentina. Study and 3D data collecting of Sauropodomorpha collections. Agust 2006.
Museum fur Naturkunde of the Humboldt-Universitat, Berlin, Germany. Study and 3D data collecting of Sauropodomorpha collections. August 2006.
Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France. Study and 3D data collecting of Sauropodomorpha collections under the scientific tutelage of Professor Philippe Taquet. July 2005.
Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia", Buenos Aires, Argentina . Study and 3D data collecting of Sauropodomorpha collections. May 2005.
Museo Ciencias de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina. Study and 3D data collecting of Sauropodomorpha collections. May 2005.
Museo Carmen Funes, Plaza Huincul, Neuquen, Argentina. Study and 3D data collecting of Sauropodomorpha collections. April 2005.
Centro Paleontologico Los Barreales, Anielo, Neuquen, Argentina. Study and 3D data collecting of Sauropodomorpha collections. April 2005.
Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, USA. Study and 3D data collecting of Sauropodomorpha collections. February-March 2005.
American Natural History Museum, New York, USA. Study of Dinosaur collections. September-December 2002.

Luis Azevedo Rodrigues Paleontologist (PhD)/Science communicator/Teacher
Publico newspaper invited blog Ciencia Ao Natural http://cienciaaonatural.net/ laz.rodrigues@gmail.com
Twitter - http://twitter.com/CienAoNatural