Tomonori Tanaka. Institute of Natural and Environmental Sciences, University of Hyogo, and Museum of Nature and Human Activities, Yayoigaoka 6, Sanda, Hyogo, Japan. tanaka@hitohaku.jp
Tomo Tanaka finished his BSc in Geology with a major in Sedimentary Petrology from Shinshu University, Japan. He pursued Vertebrate Palaeontology at Hokkaido University, Japan, completing his PhD in 2020, where he focused on the evolution of Mesozoic waterbirds. In 2022, he joined the Institute of Natural and Environmental Sciences at the University of Hyogo, holding a dual position as a researcher at the Museum of Nature and Human Activities, Hyogo. His research interests revolve around the phylogeny and evolution of non-avian and avian dinosaurs, with a particular focus on ceratopsians and diving birds.
Kazumi Wada. Museum of Nature and Human Activities, Yayoigaoka 6, Sanda, Hyogo, Japan. kwada@hitohaku.jp
Kazumi Wada started his career as a fossil preparator at the Museum of Nature and Human Activities, Hyogo, in 2008, following his retirement from a technical developer position at a packaging materials manufacturer. From 2019 to 2022, he served as the chief preparator at the Dinosaur Lab of the Museum of Nature and Human Activities, Hyogo. Over the years, he has developed various preparation tools tailored to the local geology and fossil preservation in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. His expertise spans from working on vertebrate fossils of large sauropod and hadrosaurid dinosaurs to microvertebrates measuring less than 40 mm, including Mesozoic frogs and lizards. With long years of experience leading fossil preparation in Hyogo, he is currently dedicating to educating fossil preparators, technicians, and volunteers.
Akiko Shinya. Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 S. DuSable Lake Shore Dr., Chicago, Illinois 60605, USA. ashinya@fieldmuseum.org
Akiko Shinya studied Geology (BSc) at the University of Toronto in Canada. While completing her degree, she volunteered at the Royal Ontario Museum and received training to become a vertebrate fossil preparator. She was also trained at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University in Boston prior to starting her position at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, where she currently serves as Chief Fossil Preparator. Akiko specializes in micro preparation but prepares a wide variety of specimens, including both macro and micro vertebrate, invertebrate, and paleobotanical specimens. She has also prepared fossils and conducted fieldwork in various domestic and international localities, including North and South America, Asia, Europe, and Antarctica. Akiko also shares her knowledge by training volunteers, students, and other technicians.
Tadahiro Ikeda. Institute of Natural and Environmental Sciences, University of Hyogo, and Museum of Nature and Human Activities, Yayoigaoka 6, Sanda, Hyogo, Japan. tikeda@hitohaku.jp
Tadahiro Ikeda received his Ph.D. in 2007 from Kagoshima University, Japan, for his work on comparative morphological studies of vertebrae in both fossil and extant snakes. From 2007 to 2018, he served as a researcher at the Museum of Nature and Human Activities in Hyogo. Since 2018, Tadahiro has been an Associate Professor in the Department of Geological Science at the Institute of Natural and Environmental Sciences at the University of Hyogo, where he also holds the position of Chief Researcher at the museum. In 2023, he was appointed as a Professor at the Institute of the University of Hyogo. His research primarily focuses on vertebrate paleontology, with a particular emphasis on small amphibians and reptiles. He also conducts systematic studies based on osteological research within living herpetological groups.
