Assistant Professor at Rutgers University
Kiersten Formoso is a vertebrate paleontologist and functional morphologist who studies how animals that once lived on land, such as whales, evolved over time to live in the water. Her work has earned her national recognition, including a Forbes 30 Under 30 nod in the Science category.
Raised in Sussex County, New Jersey, the nearby woods and wildlife fueled her fascination with prehistoric life. After earning her undergraduate degree from Rutgers University in 2016, Formoso began her PhD at USC Dornsife as a prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow.
As a Trojan, she sharpened her research focus, published widely and built a strong network of mentors. She credits her doctoral committee with helping her grow into an independent-minded scientist. “They were my biggest cheerleaders and still are to this day,” she says. USC’s Los Angeles location also opened doors to science communication and media consulting, including work on Apple TV+’s Prehistoric Planet and PBS NOVA’s Ancient Earth.
Formoso is now building her own paleontology lab at Rutgers. Beyond academia, she is a public-facing scientist who connects research with pop culture through her @Formorphology accounts on social media.