David Schwimmer, Ph.D.
Professor
Earth and Space Sciences
Education and Certifications
- BS, Geology, University of Wisconsin, 1967
- MA, Geology, University at Buffalo, 1969
- PhD, Paleontology, Stony Brook University, 1973
Biography
I did my undergrad degree in geology at University of Wisconsin, Madison; Master’s degree in geology at University at Buffalo (SUNY); and PhD in paleontology at Stony Brook University (SUNY). My specialty then was Cambrian trilobites, but I was always interested in vertebrates, and I minored in Physical Anthropology and Human Evolution. After graduation I worked for two years as a science writer for Jacques-Yves Cousteau, and then three years as a geologist doing environmental impact assessments for an engineering firm.
I resumed research on trilobites in northwest Georgia, after arriving at Columbus College (now Columbus State University) in west Georgia, but also began research on the local Cretaceous deposits in South Georgia. I discovered a wealth of fossils in both the Cretaceous rocks and the Cambrian rocks in Georgia, most never before reported, at least regionally. I have written more than 40 journal articles, two academic books and a monograph, and 75 abstracts on the paleontology of the Eastern and Southeastern USA, divided among studies of (in approximate order) crocodylians, dinosaurs, sharks, bony fish, flying reptiles, marine reptiles, stratigraphy, evolutionary theory, oysters, and, yes, trilobites. I am currently working on a book on dinosaurs in the Southeast, and collaborating with colleagues at USNM and AMNH on Late Cretaceous microvertebrates.