Maria Eugenia Leone Gold, PhD

M. Eugenia L. Gold is a dinosaur paleontologist who is interested in the evolution of archosaurian neurological and cranial structures, focusing on the development of the avian brain as it relates to flight. Their current research includes understanding avian neurological development over ontogeny and ecology, and connecting cranial features in crocodylians with neurological and developmental changes.

Selected Publications

• Vasquez, T.*, Gignac, P., Brewer, P., Gold, M.E.L. Tumor or Hemorrhage?: Differential Diagnosis of an Unknown Mass Within the Brain of a Budgerigar. (In press)
• Balanoff, A., Ferrer, E., Saleh, L., Gignac, P., Gold, M.E.L., Marugán-Lobón, J., Norell, M., Ouellette, D., Salerno, M., Watanabe, A., Wei, S., Bever, G., Vaska, P. 2024. Quantitative functional imaging of the pigeon brain: implications for the evolution of avian powered flight. Proceedings B 291: 20232172.
• Dewar, E., Gold, M.E.L., Dwyer, H. 2022. Teaching writing skills in online paleontology and evolution courses. Frontiers in Education/Higher Education 7:876875. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2022.876875
• Watanabe, A., Balanoff, A.M., Gignac, P. M., Gold, M.E.L., Norell, M. (2021). Novel neuroanatomical integration and scaling define avian brain shape evolution and development. eLife 10:e68809.
• Ksepka, D.T., Balanoff, A.M., Smith, A., Bever, G.S., S. Bhullar, B-A.S., Bourdon, E., Braun, E.L., Burleigh, G., Clark, J.A., Colbert, M.W., Corfield, J.R., Degrange, F.J., De Pietri, V.L., Early, C.M., Field, D.J., Gignac, P.M., Gold, M.E.L., Jarvis, E.D., Kimball, R.T., Kawabe, S., Lefebvre, L., Marguán-Lobón, J., Morhardt, A., Norell, M.A., Ridgely, R.C., Scofield, P., Tambussi, C.P., Torres, C.R., van Tuinen, M., Walsh, S.A., Watanabe, A., Witmer, L.M., Wright, A.K., Zanno, L.E., Smaers, J.B. (2020) Tempo and pattern of avian brain size evolution. Current Biology, 30: 1–11. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.03.060
• Gold, M.E.L., Watanabe, A. (2018). Flightless birds are not neuroanatomical analogs of non-avian dinosaurs. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 18, 190.
• Gold, M.E.L., Norell, M. A., Budassi, M., Vaska, P., Schulz, D. (2018). Rapid 18F-FDG uptake in brain of awake, behaving rat and anesthetized chicken has implications for behavioral PET studies in species with high metabolisms. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 12, 112.

Education

• Ph.D. Comparative Biology, Richard Gilder Graduate School, American Museum of Natural History
• M.S. Geosciences, University of Iowa
• B.S. Biology, University of Maryland
• B.S. Geology, University of Maryland

Awards & Honors

Nominated for CTSE Innovative Teaching Award (2021, 2024)