Mark A. Wright, Ph.D.

Research Background

My Ph.D. was interdisciplinary, integrating methods and knowledge from experimental biomechanics, phylogenetic comparative methods, functional morphology, and evolutionary developmental biology to understand how locomotor systems evolve across hundreds of millions of years. My subject matter expertise includes vertebrate paleontology and morphological and kinematic analysis. I thrive in environments where I am solving pipeline problems that don't have clear solutions (see examples here). I have worked with both modern and extinct species and have spent a lot of time in museum collections around the world. My previous work from my master's program includes sensory systems (olfaction in myrmecophagous mammals).

Here is an example of me speaking about my work, from my public Ph.D. defense seminar.

ORCID | Google Scholar

Publications

Wright MA, Pierce SE (2026). Soft tissue constraints on hip joint mobility in a sprawling and parasagittal amniote. Journal of Experimental Biology. Link

Wright MA, Martinez Q, Ferreira-Cardoso S, Lebrun R, Bubourguier B, Delsuc F, Fabre PH, Hautier L (2024). Sniffing out morphological convergence in the turbinal complex of myrmecophagous placentals. Anatomical Record. Link

Wright MA, Cavanaugh TJ, Pierce SE (2024). Volumetric versus Element-scaling Mass Estimation and Its Application to Permo-Triassic Tetrapods. Integrative Organismal Biology. Link

Martinez Q, Wright MA, Bubourguier B, Ito K, van de Kamp T, Hamann E, Zuber M, Ferreira G, Blanc R, Fabre PH, Hautier L, Amson E (2024). Turbinal bone disparity across placental mammals. Anatomical Record. Link

Sarasa JL, Okamoto AS, Wright MA, Pierce SE, Capellini TD (2024). Lions & sea lions & bears, oh my: Utilizing museum specimens to study the ossification sequence of carnivoran taxa. BMC Zoology. Link

Martinez Q, Okrouhlík J, Šumbera R, Wright MA, Araújo R, Braude S, Hildebrandt TB, Holtze S, Ruf I, Fabre PH (2023). Mammalian maxilloturbinal evolution does not reflect thermal biology. Nature Communications. Link

Wright MA, Sears KE, Pierce SE (2022). Comparison of hindlimb muscle architecture properties in small-bodied, generalist mammals suggest similarity in soft tissue anatomy. Journal of Mammalian Evolution. Link

Bishop PJ, Wright MA, Pierce SE (2021). Whole-limb scaling of muscle mass and force-generating capacity in amniotes. PeerJ. Link

Conference Talks

Wright MA, Pierce SE (2023). Evolutionary dynamics of the synapsid pelvis and femur provides insight into the origin of mammalian limb posture. International Congress of Vertebrate Morphology (Cairns).

Wright MA, Pierce SE (2022). Volumetric Reconstructions More Precisely Estimate Mass Across Terrestrial Amniotes. Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (Virtual).

Wright MA, Sears KE, Pierce SE (2019). Inferring Muscular Architecture in the Hindlimb of Early Mammals by Comparing Extant Species. International Congress of Vertebrate Morphology (Prague).

Wright MA, Pierce SE (2019). Functional Morphology of the Hip Joint during Mammalian Evolution. Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (Tampa).

Poster Presentations

Wright MA, Pierce SE (2024). Ex vivo experimental analysis of the impact of soft tissues on 3D hip joint mobility in two contrasting amniotes. Anatomy Connected (Toronto).

Wright MA, Pierce SE (2023). A Hip New Perspective on the Synapsid "Sprawling-to-Upright" Transition. Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (Austin).

Wright MA, Cavanaugh TJ, Pierce SE (2020). Estimating Body Mass in Non-Mammalian Synapsids: A Tale of Two Methods. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (Virtual).

Wright MA, Ferreira-Cardoso S, Delsuc F, Hautier L (2018). A study of inner rostrum morphology among ant-eating mammals. Joint Congress on Evolutionary Biology (Montpellier).