What do you do?
I study “sea dragons” from the dinosaur era, such as fish-shaped ichthyosaurs and long-necked plesiosaurs. These reptile lineages started out as lizard-looking animals living on land but returned to the sea at one point. After millions of years, they ended up with body designs suitable for efficient swimming. I study this transition of body shape and associated swimming style. I am also interested in how physical nature of water limits the possible body designs for swimming vertebrate animals. So, tunas, man-eater sharks, dolphins, and ichthyosaurs all have similar body outline that works for efficient cruising. I use 3D computer models for my study, but I also do most of what vertebrate paleontologists usually do, such as field excavation, fossil cleaning, figuring out the blood relationships among fossil reptiles, and basking in the sun after a rainy field day.

Why should the general public be interested in what you do?
Because kids in and around you are interested in strange reptiles of the dinosaur era. Also, evolution is an essential process that is behind our own existence. Learning about it should help you train your objective thinking and take control of your life.

Why does it interest you?
For a combination of reasons, including the pure beauty of these marine reptiles (aren’t they gorgeous?), and the fact that such beauty evolved through the combination of mutation and natural selection—I really feel that I have to know more about these animals and the process of their evolution. Of course, it helps that I am rather childish for my age.

What major advances/discoveries have occurred in your research field over the last 10 years?
The discovery of feathered dinosaurs with two pair of wings, followed by the discovery of early birds with two pairs of wings—who would have thought that the evolution of flight went through such a pathway! (some people actually did in the past, but none of modern scientists).