Charles Schuchert redefined the study of the fossil record in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, bringing new ways to envision and interpret paleontological data. Aside from his many research accomplishments, he also invented the term ‘paleobiology,’ served as the Paleontological Society’s first President, and had his name attached to the award that recognizes excellence, greatness, and promise in research. Erin Saupe is a tremendously fitting recipient of Schuchert’s eponymous award because her research is redefining the study of the fossil record in the twenty-first century, and she too has brought new ways to envision and interpret paleontological data. Be it in the areas of macroevolution or paleo- and macroecology, as well as in global change studies via the bio- and geosciences, she has made fundamental scientific contributions and embodies excellence and greatness in research.
There are other parallels between Saupe and Schuchert. For instance, Schuchert was fortunate enough to end up being known in every “country in the world” and to live to receive “nearly every honor that is possible for the geological professions to bestow” (Kaesler, Reference Kaesler1987, p. 406). If one were to throw ‘biological professions’ into that mix, then it could well be a fair match for Erin’s career trajectory. Further, both sojourned for a time at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
One of the reasons that Erin has been so successful is she has demonstrated phenomenal productivity throughout her career, authoring, as the lead, papers published in the most prestigious and impactful scientific journals. She also has an incredible track record of securing grant funding. And I am very grateful that these contributions by my former student and now highly valued colleague have been recognized. On top of the award commemorated here, Erin has been the recipient of several other national and international awards from various scientific organizations including the Leverhulme Foundation and the New York Academy of Sciences. But the Schuchert award is extra special to her, as well as to me and those who supported her nomination—including Roger Benson, Derek Briggs, Alex Dunhill, Doug Erwin, Seth Finnegan, Matthew Friedman, Gene Hunt, Wolfgang Kiessling, Paul Selden, and Alycia Stigall—because at heart, Erin is a paleontologist who recognizes how much paleontology can contribute to our understanding not only of past evolution and ecology, but also to the future prospects and perils that life faces during the present biodiversity crisis.
One of the ways that Erin Saupe has been able to make such prodigious contributions to the field of paleontology is her capacity to work very hard and think both creatively and analytically. She also has built very large, comprehensive datasets based on her expert knowledge of fossil groups and analyzed these using cutting edge statistical approaches hitherto rarely or never applied to paleontology—her acumen with statistics is truly outstanding and is continually growing.
Hardly ever is someone able to impact multiple scientific disciplines at the highest levels. Erin is this sort of truly gifted scientific researcher. But she is also more than just that. She is a dedicated teacher, helping to develop innovative field courses that take students to the UK’s most famous fossil localities, and offering lecture classes on both ‘Evolution’ and ‘Quantitative Palaeobiology.’ Erin has served as an inspirational mentor, training numerous graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. She has given invited lectures at the world’s greatest universities and museums. Additionally, she has participated in numerous impactful outreach endeavors, including her funded work through the JRS Biodiversity Foundation. On top of all of these, she is presently serving as one of the editors at the Paleontological Society’s own journal Paleobiology, and associate editor at top tier scientific journals such as Proceedings of the Royal Society B and Journal of Biogeography. Erin is also fortunate to work at an outstanding place, Oxford University, where her colleagues greatly value and respect her. And she is blessed to have a loving family.
Bestowing Erin Saupe with the Charles Schuchert Award is a highly fitting way of recognizing a new generation of paleontological excellence.
