K. Christopher Beard, a prominent paleontologist and distinguished chair of vertebrate paleontology at the Carnegie Museum, will become Foundation Distinguished Professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at KU

A curator at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh will join Kansas University as the second professor in a recent university initiative, KU has announced.

K. Christopher Beard, a prominent paleontologist and distinguished chair of vertebrate paleontology at the Carnegie Museum, will become Foundation Distinguished Professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at KU as well as a senior curator at the Biodiversity Institute. Beard’s appointment begins April 1.

Beard has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles on paleontology and has expertise in mammal and primate evolution.

The Foundation Professor program is a KU initiative to bring in new faculty with high profiles in their fields. KU hopes to hire 12 foundational faculty altogether.