David Černý

I seek to understand how different groups of vertebrates are related to one another, when they originated, and what their ages and relationships can tell us about the trends and events that shaped their evolution. My undergraduate experience at University of California, Los Angeles, has been invaluable in this regard, as it allowed me to become involved in one of the world’s leading labs exploring these topics. At UCLA, I have gained crucial insights into all stages of the scientific process, from data collection in the field all the way to publication in a peer-reviewed journal. My experience was further enriched by a number of unique opportunities that I would have othewise never been able to take advantage of, ranging from a computational biology internship in Barcelona to a marine ecology research program in French Polynesia. I plan to continue to study macroevolution and phylogenetics at the graduate level, so that I might contribute as much as I can to the field.