Contact Information
608 East Healey Street
Champaign, IL 61820
Research Interests
Comparative evolutionary biomechanics in both vertebrates and invertebrates, particularly to examine how the laws of physics and mechanics influence evolutionary processes; combining kinematics and fracture mechanics to examine the evolution of biological cutting/puncture systems; biomechanical and morphological diversification in deep-time; evolution of multi-part biomechanical systems; paleobiomechanics
Education
PhD: University of Chicago, IL
BA: Carleton College, MN
Additional Campus Affiliations
Associate Professor, Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior
Associate Professor, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
External Links
Recent Publications
Keeffe, R., Zhang, B., Anderson, P. S. L., & Brennan, P. L. R. (2025). Evolutionary morphology of genital spines informed by puncture mechanics. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 292(2053), Article 20251698. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2025.1698
Pollock, T., & Anderson, P. S. L. (2025). Sharpening our understanding of saber-tooth biomechanics. Anatomical Record, 308(11), 3022-3040. https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.25690
Anderson, P. S. L. (2024). Quality vs. Quantity: The Consequences of Elevated CO2 on Wood Biomaterial Properties. Integrative and comparative biology, 64(2), 243-256. https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icae081
Zhang, B., Baskota, B., & Anderson, P. S. L. (2024). Being thin-skinned can still reduce damage from dynamic puncture. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 21(219), Article 20240311. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2024.0311
Zhang, B., Baskota, B., Chabain, J. J., & Anderson, P. S. L. (2024). Curving expectations: The minimal impact of structural curvature in biological puncture mechanics. Science Advances, 10(33), Article adp8157. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adp8157