About
Nathan
Van Vranken has
always had a fascination with the past and lifelong obsession with
studying it. Paleontology is one of Nathan’s passions in life,
sometimes he refers to it as the “driver in his life”.
As
a result of his studies Nathan has published papers on various
paleontological subjects and preformed lectures at multiple
professional conferences such as the Geological Society of America
(GSA) and Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) and continues to
professionally articulate his ideas on a global stage though social
media and volunteered at various museums as a field worker and fossil
preparator. He has worked on fossils from just about every section of geologic time.
Notable avenues of research
Nathan has worked on was assisting in reconstructing the coastal
paleoecology of the Woodbine Formation in North Central Texas on
behalf of the Arlington Archosaur Site. While
attending graduate school, Nathan's research specialization was on
the Western Interior Seaway and more importantly the mosasaurs that
inhabited it. He worked on the identification and phylogenetic
relationships of a subadult Tylosaurus
kansasensis
specimen which later became the topic of his Master's thesis. Other
topics he has been working on are Cretaceous ichthyosaurs, fossil
fish from the Austin Chalk formation in Texas, and various
phylogenetic studies dealing with theropod dinosaurs such as members
of Dromaeosauridae.
Nathan’s
academic training was specifically designed to be rigorous and
customized to allow him to research as a professional. The
result, he holds
degrees from the University of Texas such
as a Bachelor's of Science in Interdisciplinary studies with emphasis
on geology and biology and a Master's of Science in Geology with
emphasis in vertebrate paleontology.
As of late 2015, Nathan
has been teaching historical geology classes at the local university
in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and continues
to do research and public outreach as a freelance paleontologist.
Joined
March 2016
