Kelly Cronin
Kelly Cronin
Kelly Cronin
Conservation Paleobiologist
Kelly Cronin is a conservation paleobiologist. She studies the chemistry and growth of bivalves (animals like clams, scallops, and oysters) in order to understand ancient environments.
Kelly received her undergraduate degree in Biology from Cornell University and worked for several years at the Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) before returning to school. At PRI, she worked as the Assistant to the Director and in various positions on the Education team. She was involved with teacher professional development, public outreach, and exhibit development in subjects ranging from climate to shale gas to paleontology.
After leaving PRI, she completed her master’s degree in Geology with Patricia Kelley at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, where she studied lifespan bias in the fossil record and got to dig up clams on tidal flats. She then attended the University of Georgia for her doctoral research under advisor Sally Walker, earning her Ph.D. in 2020. She is currently a Visiting Instructor of Geology at Georgia Southern University.
Kelly studies the growth and biochemistry of bivalves, with a particular focus on the living Antarctic scallop (Adamussium colbecki). She is determining whether the Antarctic scallop can act as a proxy for understanding past climate conditions. She is also working to predict the effects of modern-day climate change on the Antarctic scallop and its ecosystem.
Kelly sieving sediments in the field.
Daring to Dig Interview
In this video, Kelly discusses how she decided to become a paleontologist, the importance of her female advisors, and how academia must address the needs of women—especially mothers—in order to improve retention. This interview was recorded in 2015, when Kelly was starting out as a Ph.D. student at the University of Georgia.
Selected works by Kelly Cronin
Cronin, K.E., G.P. Dietl, P.H. Kelley, and S.M. Edie. 2018. Life span bias explains live-dead discordance in abundance of two common bivalves. Paleobiology 44: 783–797. Link
Cronin, K.E., S.E. Walker, R. Mann, A.S. Chute, M.C. Long, and S.S. Bowser. 2020. Growth and longevity of an ecosystem engineer, the Antarctic scallop Adamussium colbecki under annual and multi-annual sea ice. Antarctic Science 32: 466–475. Link
Cronin, K.E., S.E. Walker, and S.S. Bowser. 2021. Striae in the Antarctic scallop Adamussium colbecki provide environmental insights but not reliable age increments. Polar Biology 44: 729–738. Link