Dr. rer. nat. Manja Voß

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Research interest

My research activities focus on the evolutionary history of marine mammals, especially sirenians (sea cows) and whales. This includes the elucidation of the physical drivers of secondary adaptations for a life in water, the evolutionary origin, taxonomy and systematics of these groups as well as their (paleo-)ecological roles.

Professional employment and academic education

• Since 2017 officer for strategic science communication at Museum für Naturkunde Berlin
• 2008 –2016 science communicator at the department of education at Museum für Naturkunde Berlin
• Since 2006 research associate in the Marine Mammal working group of PD Dr. O. Hampe at Museum für Naturkunde Berlin
• 2005 – 2017 research assistant in the EU-infrastructure and scientific network projects SYNTHESYS 1 – 3 (http://www.synthesys.info/) at Museum für Naturkunde Berlin
• Since 2005 freelance lecturer (Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin)
• 2002 – 2005 tutor for students at Freie Universität Berlin
• 2001 – 2002 academic assistant in the postgraduate programme at Museum für Naturkunde Berlin
• 2013 Dissertation and Disputation at the Department of Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
• 2005 Diploma in Geology/Palaeontology at the Department of Geo- and Environmental Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin
• 2003 Internship at UNESCO World Heritage Site “Grube Messel”, Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt

Honors, scholarships and awards

• 2021 Special award for science communication of the Inge and Werner Grüter-Foundation
• 2016 Featured conference contribution at the 76th Anniversary Meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, Salt Lake City (USA)
• 2016 DAAD travel grant to attend the 76th Anniversary Meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, Salt Lake City (USA)
• 2015 SYNTHESYS research grant for visiting the MNHN Paris, France
• 2014 First prize in the competition of the best oral presentation at IV Congreso Colombiano de Zoologia, Cartagena, Colombia
• 2014 DAAD travel grant to attend the IV Congreso Colombiano de Zoologia, Cartagena, Colombia
• 2013 Third prize in the competition of the best oral presentation at the Young Systematist’s Forum, London, UK
• 2013 Travel grant of the Paläontologische Gesellschaft to attend a palaeontological congress in Göttingen
• 2013 GfBS travel grant to attend a zoological congress in Vienna, Austria
• 2010 Special invitation to NSF-funded field campaign to the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Wadi al Hitan” (Valley of Whales, Egypt) by Prof. Philip Gingerich, University of Michigan
• 2010 DAAD travel grant to attend the 70th Anniversary Meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, Pittsburgh (USA)
• 2010 Special invitation to the Symposium “Physical Drivers and Marine Tetrapod Evolution” at the 70th Anniversary Meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, Pittsburgh (USA)
• 2010 German Future Award for young palaeontologists at the 81st Annual Meeting of the Paläontologische Gesellschaft in Munich (Germany)
• 2009 Special invitation to EOL (Encyclopedia of Life) Meeting “Marine Tetrapods” at the Biodiversity Synthesis Center in Chicago, IL (USA)
• 2008 SYNTHESYS research grant for visiting the NHMUK London, UK
• 2008 SYNTHESYS research grant for visiting the MTTM in Budapest, Hungary
• 2008 – 2015 different travel and research grants from the Innovationfonds of the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin
• 2006 – 2009 Research project grant of the DFG (project leader PD Dr. Oliver Hampe; proposal written by M. Voss)

Professional memberships and reviewer activities

• Since 09/2015 Founder member (and until 09/2017 personal board member) of the Dachverband Geo­wissen­schaften/DVGeo
• Since 2014 advisory board member of the Paläontologische Gesellschaft
• Since 2014 honorary member in the Asociación Colombiana de Zoologia
• Since 2013 member of the Gesellschaft für Biologische Systematik (GfBS)
• Since 2005 member of the Paläontologische Gesellschaft
• Since 2005 member of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP)
• 2001 – 2004 student representative of the examing board at the Department of Geo- and Environmental Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin
• Since 2011 reviews for professional journals (e.g., Nature Ecology & Evolution, Palaeo-3, Anatomical Record, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie)

Publications

• Woodruff D. C., Voss M., Harrison J., Qin Q. & Nicholson P.T. 2021. A sirenian from the Maadi Formation (Upper Eocene) from the catacombs of Anubis at North Saqqara (Egypt). In: Nicholson, P.T. with Ikram, S. and Mills, S.. The Catacombs of Anubis at North Saqqara: An archaeological perspective. London: British Museum Publications in Egypt and Sudan.
• Voss M. 2021. Das Mainzer Becken – Hotspot für Seekühe vor 30 Millionen Jahren. Alzeyer Geschichtsblätter 45: 5–22.
• Voss M. 2021. Re‑evaluation of the taxonomic and systematic status of “Halitherium” antillense Matthew, 1916 (Mammalia, Sirenia). PalZ 95: 163–165. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12542-020-00532-9
• Woodruff D. C., Voss M., Harrison J., Qin Q. & Nicholson P.T. (in the stage of completion). A sirenian from the Maadi Formation (upper Eocene) from the catacombs of Anubis at North Saqqara (Egypt). In Paul T. Nicholson with Salima Ikram and Steve Mills. The Catacombs of Anubis at North Saqqara: An archaeological perspective. London: British Museum Publications in Egypt and Sudan.
• Voss M., Hampe O., Mata Lleonart R., Ferrer Lopez J. 2019b. Fossil Sea Cow Remains (Mammalia: Sirenia) on Paving Stones in the City of Girona (Catalonia, Spain). Geoheritage 11: 1981–1987.
• Haberland C., Hampe O., Autenrieth M. & Voss M. 2019. Balaenoptera borealis Lesson, 1828 – Rediscovery of a holotype. Mammalia 83(4): 343-351.
• Voss M., Antar M. S. M., Zalmout I. S. & Gingerich P. D. 2019a. Stomach contents of the archaeocete Basilosaurus isis: apex predator in oceans of the late Eocene. Paleobiology. PLoS ONE 14(1): 1-24.
• Voss M., Sorbi S. & Domning D.P. 2017. Morphological and systematic re-assessment of the late Oligocene “Halitherium” bellunense reveals a new crown group genus of Sirenia. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 62(1): 163-172.
• Voss M. & Hampe O. 2017. Evidence for two sympatric sirenian species (Mammalia, Tethytheria) in the early Oligocene of Central Europe. Journal of Paleontology 91(2): 337-367.
• Voss M., Berning B. & Reiter E. 2016. A taxonomic and morphological re-evaluation of “Halitherium” cristolii Fitzinger, 1842 (Mammalia, Sirenia) from the late Oligocene of Austria, with the description of a new genus. European Journal of Taxonomy 256: 1-32.
• Voss M. 2014. On the invalidity of Halitherium schinzii Kaup, 1838 (Mammalia, Sirenia), with comments on systematic consequences. Zoosystematics and Evolution 90: 87-93.
• Voss M. 2012. A new sea cow record from the lower Oligocene of western Germany: new indications on the skeletal morphology of Halitherium schinzii (Mammalia: Sirenia). Paläontologische Zeitschrift 86: 205-217.
• Voss M., Asbach P. & Hilger A. 2011. Vertebral anomaly in fossil sea cows (Sirenia,Mammalia). The Anatomical Record 294: 980-986.
• Voss M. 2008. New finds of Halitherium (Sirenia, Mammalia) from the lower Oligocene of the Rhine area, Germany. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Abhandlungen 249: 257-269.