About Me.
I am a conservation paleobiologist, meaning I apply paleontological data and methods towards modern conservation issues. My expertise helps to identify data gaps and extend the baseline of information further into the past. I also study the power of conservation stories as a strategic communication tool to spark conversation action. I'm passionate about science communication, engaging with local stakeholder communities, and making a positive impact on the environment.
In my free time, I love spending time in nature (hiking, skiing, running), becoming immersed in a good book, trying new recipes with my husband Mitchel, and relaxing with my two kitty furbabies Petrie & Goose.
Education
2020-2026
PhD Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
Cornell University
I am combining my passions for conservation paleobiology, a field that applies paleontological data and methods towards modern conservation issues, and science communication. My PhD thesis investigates the power of conservation storytelling using the recent oyster geohistorical record to inform how oysters have been changing in the Guana River, Florida, beyond what is known from available monitoring records. I'm using the oyster geohistorical record and interviews with community members to tell a story about the recent past with the goal to spark community interest and inform restoration decisions.
2016-2018
M.S. Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
University of Connecticut
My master's thesis researched environmental stressors that affected brachiopod turnover in the Appalachian Basin during the Late Devonian mass extinction over 370 million years ago.
2012-2016
B.S. Biology & Geology
St. Lawrence University
Taking a Dinosaurs course as a distribution credit rekindled my childhood obsessions with dinosaurs and the Land Before Time movies and shifted my trajectory into the field of paleontology. I double-majored in biology and geology to build a strong foundation for studying the preserved remains of once-living things. My undergraduate thesis researched snail temperature-induced body size changes during the global transition from the Eocene hothouse into the ice ages (~55-33 million years ago) on Seymour Island, Antarctica.
Awards & Fellowships
Cornell CALS Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant
Annually awarded to one TA in each Cornell CALS department with distinguished performance.
Cornell Atkinson Sustainable Biodiversity Fellow
I was awarded $8,000 in 2023 and $3,000 in 2025 by the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability for my PhD research. The Sustainable Biodiversity Fund supports innovative research on the most pressing questions in protecting biodiversity.
Cornell Fellowship 2020-2021
UConn Introductory Biology Teaching Excellence Award 2017-2018
A Cornell University fellowship awarded to 20% of graduate students in their first year and includes a 9-month stipend and full tuition.
An interdepartmental award recognizing outstanding teaching effort for introductory biology courses at the University of Connecticut.
Leadership & Communication Training
An 8-week course grounded in behavioral psychology and marketing best practices to develop an action plan that clarifies behavior goals/audiences and identifies barriers and strategies for mobilizing change.
NOAA trainings for understanding stakholders, designing effective surveys, and facilitation.
IRB Training
Institutional Review Board training to conduct research with human participants.
Developing leadership skills including emotional intelligence, conflict management, and inclusive practices to foster success in graduate school and beyond.
A national workshop providing graduate students with science communication training and networking opportunities.
How to Engage the Public Through Social Media hosted at the Paleontological Research Institution in Ithaca, NY.
Publications
Storytelling
Goben, J.Q., Mychajliw, A.M., Olson, O.L., and Dietl, G.P. (2025). Using the past to tell more persuasive conservation stories. Conservation Biology, e70057. doi.org/10.1111/cobi.70057
Conservation Paleobiology
Groff, D.V., Pier, J.Q., Shaffer, A., MacKenzie, C.M., Dietl, G.P. (2023). Knowing but not doing: Conservation paleobiology and the research-implementation gap. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution: 11. doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2023.1058992
Dillon, E.M., Pier, J.Q., Smith, J.A., Raja, N.B., Dimitrijević, D., Austin, E.L., et al. (2022). What is conservation paleobiology? Tracking 20 years of research and development. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution: 10, doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2022.1031483
Devonian Mass Extinction
Bush, A.J., Beard, J.A., Brisson, S.K., Pier, J.Q., Hren, M.J. “Chapter 2. Stratigraphy of the Frasnian-Famennian boundary interval in shallow-marine paleoenvironments of New York and north-central Pennsylvania (Wiscoy-Caneadea formations, Upper Devonian).” In Devonian of New York, Volume 3: Frasnian to Famennian (Upper Devonian) Stages and the Devonian Terrestrial System in New York, edited by Charles A. Ver Straeten, D. Jeffrey Over, and Donald Woodrow: Bulletins of American Paleontology, 2023.
Brisson, S.K., Pier, J.Q., Beard, J.A., Fernandes, A., Bush, A. (2023) Niche conservatism and ecological change during the Late Devonian mass extinction. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: 290(1996). doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2022.2524
Kerr, J.P., Pier, J.Q., Brisson, S.K., Beard, J.A., Bush, A.M. (2022). Preservation and host preferences of Late Frasnian (Late Devonian) skeletobionts in the Appalachian Foreland Basin, USA. Palaios: 37(9), 539-551. 10.2110/palo.2021.029
Pier, J.Q., Brisson, S.K., Beard, J.A., Hren, M.T., and Bush, A.M. (2021). Accelerated mass extinction in an isolated biota during Late Devonian climate changes. Scientific Reports: 11, 24366. 10.1038/s41598-021-03510-6.
Bush, A.M., Beard, A.J., Baird, G., Over, J.D., Tuskes, K., Brisson, S.K., Pier, J.Q.. “Upper Devonian Kellwasser Extinction Events in New York and Pennsylvania: Offshore to Onshore Transect Across the Frasnian-Famennian Boundary on the Eastern Margin of the Appalachian Basin.” In New York State Geological Association 89th Annual Meeting Field Trip Guidebook, edited by Otto H. Muller: New York State Geological Society, 2017.
Teaching Assistantships
Communication & Technology
Department of Communication, Cornell University
A course that examines several approaches to understanding technology and its role in human behavior and society.
Communication, Environment, Science, and Health
Department of Communication, Cornell University
A course that examines the institutional and intellectual contexts, processes, and practical constraints on communication in the sciences, including a foundation in communication theories.
Writing for Communication
Department of Communication, Cornell University
A course required for the communication major aimed at strengthening writing skills in a variety of formats, including research essays, social science summaries, personal essays, and media pieces.
Introductory Oceanography
Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, Cornell University
A course that covers current environmental threats facing the ocean, such as global warming, ocean acidification, overfishing, and coastal pollution, to enable students to speak and write confidently about contemporary public issues regarding the health of the ocean, global warming, and a sustainable future.