HI.
I'M JOOD.
I STUDY THE HISTORY OF LIFE AND EARTH.
Who is
Jood Al Aswad?
I am a Ph.D. candidate at Stanford University, and I research quantitative paleobiology as part of the Payne Paleobiology Lab.
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​Understanding how marine ecosystems recovered from these events can help us disentangle which factors contributed to the survivorship of animals post-extinction.
I quantify the biogeographic patterns of survivors and originators post-extinction and create a mechanistic model to explain these patterns with other factors, such as ecology, physiology and oceanic chemistry, to see how they are linked. Learn more about my research here.
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I study how marine ecosystems have changed after mass extinctions.
I certainly found my niche in paleobiology!
Aside from that, I have many passions that drive me and shape who I am. One of my goals is to nurture an inclusive and diverse environment within the realm of geosciences -- our discipline is the least diverse in all of STEM. To my knowledge, I am the first female Saudi paleontologist, so I aim to be one of the many hands that work toward changing that. I also draw digitally and with charcoal, and sometimes use that for science. The magnum opus of my creative endeavors is a fantasy novel I am in the works of writing and hope to publish someday.
Education
2019 - Present
Stanford University
Ph.D. Geological Sciences (Paleobiology)
Advised by: Dr. Jon Payne
Tentative projects focus on examining the biogeographic recovery patterns of benthic marine invertebrates after the end-Permian mass extinction.
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2017 - 2019
Cornell University
M.S. Geological Sciences (Stratigraphy and Petrophysics)
Advised by: Dr. Teresa Jordan
Thesis title: "A stratigraphic and petrophysical study of in-situ geothermal reservoir quality of the Cambro-Ordovician subsurface a Cornell University, Ithaca, New York"
2011 - 2016
George Mason University
B.S. Earth Science, concentration in Geology
Advised by: Dr. Linda Hinnov
Research Project: “The harmonic analysis of geophysical phenomena recorded by borehole strainmeters.”
Summer 2021
Friday Harbor Laboratories - University of Washington
Marine Invertebrate Zoology
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
Field Camp
Summer 2015