2013 – 2016

B. Sc. in geoscience at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg.

Bachelor thesis: „Taxonomische Analyse eines Meeresreptils aus dem Oberjura der nördlichen Frankenalb [Taxonomic analysis of a marine reptile from the Upper Jurassic oft he northern Franconian Jura]“.

2016 – 2019

M. Sc. in geoscience at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, majoring in paleobiology and applied sedimentology.

Master thesis: „Macroecological patterns in Paleozoic ammonoids”.

Since 2019

PhD at Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, Tübingen

Amniotes (= tetrapods without a larval stage) first appeared during the Carboniferous period (~ 300 mya) and since then have been evolved an incredible diversity of species and ecological adaptations, including reptiles, birds, mammals and hence also humans.

My research interests focus mostly on the skull anatomy of amniotes. Traditionally, amniotes have been classified based on the temporal region of their skulls: a completely closed temporal region (anapsid skull, especially in the amniote ancestors, early reptiles and, probably secondary evolved, in turtles); a single pair of temporal openings on the lateral sides of the skull (synapsid skull, especially in mammals and their ancestors, but also in some parareptiles); or an additional pair of temporal openings in the crown region (diapsid skull, in modern reptiles and birds). My aim is to morphometrically analyze the temporal region of amniotes and to map its evolution over the last 300 million years. With this I hope to learn more about the morphological, ecological and ontogenetic backgrounds of this traditionally important character of the amniote skull. Based on well-preserved specimens and 3D-scans, I further plan to create rigorous redescriptions of some selected early reptile skulls.

Other projects besides my PhD topic include the fossil record of marine crocodiles (Thalattosuchia) and other marine reptiles from Germany, the macroecology of ammonites as well as the pterosaurs from the Cretaceous of Northern Germany.

Homepage: www.abel-paleo.jimdofree.com

Researchgate: www.researchgate.net/profile/Pascal_Abel

Twitter: @erdgeschichten

• Sachs, S., Young, M.T., Abel, P., and Mallison, H. 2019. A new species of the metriorhynchid crocodylomorph Cricosaurus from the Upper Jurassic of southern Germany. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 64 DOI: 10.4202/app.00541.2018

• Abel, P., De Baets, K., Korn, D., Steinbauer, M. J. (2019) Macroecological patterns in the extinct cephalopod subclass Ammonoidea. macro 2019 - Bridging local patterns and global challenges: p. 57.

• Abel, P., Sachs, S., Young, M.T. (2018) Thalattosuchian remains from the late Aalenian Eisensandstein Formation of Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. GeoBonn 2018 Living Earth Abstracts: p. 223.