Josh is a native Texan who has lived throughout the state, including the Rio Grande Valley, San Antonio, DFW, and Houston. He obtained his B.S. in Biology at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (named UT-Pan American at the time) and proceeded to obtain his M.S. in Biology at Southeastern Louisiana University. For his master’s research, Josh worked under Dr. Brian Crother, and his thesis involved using geometric morphometrics to better understand the diversity of a group of fully aquatic salamanders, Siren. This museum-based project allowed Josh to travel to multiple museums, including The Field Museum, which greatly enhanced his research experience. Josh enjoys traveling (especially for fieldwork), casual herping, and trying out new restaurants.
Research Interests
Josh is broadly interested in the evolutionary relationships of reptiles and amphibians, as well as the mechanisms responsible for generating such morphological and phylogenetic diversity. Additionally, Josh is interested in the evolution of morphological characters, morphological variation across a landscape, and convergence in form. As a new member of the Fujita lab, Josh is in the process of developing his project, though it will most likely involve examining the evolution and chemical function of epidermal glands in lizards.
Contact Me
Feel free to reach out to Josh via email (jorlandoriver@gmail.com) or Twitter DM (@joshoriv).