Biography

Mark Young’s research is interdisciplinary, incorporating biomechanics, comparative anatomy, neuroanatomy, philosophy of biology, phylogenetics, and systematics/taxonomy to elucidate major evolutionary transitions. He is particularly interested in understanding how and why the vertebrate body-plan undergoes radical transformation when adapting to new niches. He has authored (or co-authored) 71 zoological names, and several of his publications are taxonomic treatises

Summary of Research & Education

Mark gained his BSc in Zoology (2005), MSc in Advanced Methods in Taxonomy and Biodiversity (2006), and PhD in Earth Science (2009) (all in the UK). Thereafter, he has held postdoctoral positions at the University of Edinburgh and University of Southampton. He is a member of two IUCN Species Survival Commission groups (Crocodile Specialist Group, and the Pigeon & Dove Specialist Group). As a proponent of the Open Science Movement, he is a Recommender for Peer Community In (both Paleontology and Registered Reports). He is also a Chartered Biologist (registered with the Royal Society of Biology) and a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London. He has been an editor for several journals, including PeerJ (2014–ongoing), Zootaxa (2015–2025), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society (2020–2025), and is Editor-in-Chief of Historical Biology (2024–ongoing).