Department of Paleoichthyology and Paleoherpetology

　　　Chair: Dr. ZHAO Wenjin

　　　Deputy Chair: Dr. WANG Min

The department focuses on the origin, evolution and taxonomy of fossil vertebrates that are not closely related to mammals, including fish, reptiles and amphibians. Our studies encompass a taxonomically diverse array of vertebrates from the past half-billion years of geological time.

Our department includes the following research groups:
1) Early vertebrate group 
    ZHU Min, ZHAO Wen-Jin, JIA Lian-Tao, GAI Zhi-Kun, Lu Jin, Qiao Tuo
2) Mesozoic and Cenozoic fish group 
    ZHANG Mi-Man (Meemann Chang), JIN Fan, ZHANG Jiang-Yong, XU Guang-Hui, WANG Ning, WU Fei-Xiang
3) Dinosaur (excluding birds) and pterosaur group 
    WANG Xiao-Lin, XU Xing, YOU Hai-Lu, ZHAO Qi, WANG Qiang, Corwin Sullivan  
4) Bird group 
    ZHOU Zhong-He, ZHANG Fu-Cheng, WANG Min, Jingmai K. O’CONNOR, Thomas A STIDHAM
5) Permo-Triassic tetrapod group 
    LIU Jun, LI Chun, SHANG Qing-Hua, Corwin Sullivan
6) Lissamphibian and lizard group 
    WANG Yuan, Dong Li-Ping, Yi Hong-Yu

Current research priorities:
1) Origin and early evolution of Osteichthyes (bony fish)
2) Origin of tetrapods (land vertebrates)
3) Origin of birds and bird flight