School of Geology and Geophysics 
Richard L. Cifelli
Cooperating Faculty, School of Geology and Geophysics
Associate Professor, Department of Zoology
Associate Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology,
Ph.D., 1983, Columbia University
M.Phil., 1980, Columbia University
A.M., 1979, University of Chicago
A.B., 1976, Colby College
Office: SEC 912, SNOMNH
Phone: 405-325-4724 (Geology)
Phone: 405-325-4712 (SNOMNH)(
Fax: 405-325-3140
E-mail: rlc@ou.edu
Areas of Interest
Vertebrate Paleontology
Research
I am Associate Curator of Vertebrate paleontology at the Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, Associate Professor in the Department of Zoology, and cooperating faculty member in the School of Geology and Geophysics. My research interests are in the paleobiology, systematics, and evolution of mammals. I conduct research on fossil mammals of South America which, because of the continent's isolation during most of the Tertiary, represent a natural environment in zoogeography and evolution. At the same time, I have been developing a sequence of early mammal faunas from the Cretaceous of the southwest U.S. These assemblages document a long and poorly understood interval in mammalian history, during which they were relatively small, rare taxa living in the interstices of a world dominated by dinosaurs. Most of my research programs are field-based, with activities currently being conducted in Colombia, Argentina, Texas, and Utah. I have collaborated extensively with geophysicists in developing an absolute temporal framework for mammalian evolution.
Courses Taught
Vertebrate Paleobiology
Vertebrate Paleontology