Charles Sibley
Charles Gald Sibley (born August 7, 1917 in Fresno , California ; † April 12, 1998 ) was an American ornithologist and molecular biologist , one of the founders and a leading figure in the field of molecular systematics. His research has fundamentally changed our understanding of the evolutionary history of modern bird species.
life and work
After graduating in 1940, Sibley worked for the US Public Health Service for a year . He did his military service in the US Navy , was later called up and spent the last 19 months of World War II in the Pacific . His first stop was the Emiru Island , which belongs to the St. Matthias Group . There he collected when he was not on duty and sent samples to the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology . In the early 1960s, Sibley began to focus on molecular studies, and in the early 1970s he pioneered the field of DNA-DNA hybridization with the aim of uncovering the relationships between modern bird species. In the course of his academic career, Sibley worked at six universities . His first job was as an assistant at the University of Kansas in 1948 . Just a year later, he joined San Jose State College as an assistant professor of zoology . In 1953 he went to Cornell University , where he rose to professor of ornithology and director of the ornithological laboratory in the following years . In 1965, Sibley moved to Yale University , where he was professor of biology. In 1970 he was appointed director of the Peabody Museum of Natural History . In 1986 Sibley was elected to the National Academy of Sciences . In the same year he retired.
Between 1988 and 1993 Sibley received the Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal , in 1991 the Alessandro Ghigi Medal , and in 1993 was appointed Associate Professor . In 1990 he was elected President of the International Ornithological Congress .
For a time, Sibley was estranged from his American colleagues and exchanged extensive information with colleagues from overseas. Significant findings of Sibley, such as the close relationship between geese and fowl and their differences from other new pine birds , are still valid today. His most important publications Phylogeny and Classification of Birds and Distribution and Taxonomy of Birds of the World are among the most cited ornithological works.
See also
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Sibley, Charles |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Sibley, Charles Gald |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American ornithologist and molecular biologist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 7, 1917 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Fresno , California |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 12, 1998 |