(Puerto Rico, 1995)

Kelly Vega is a paleoherpetologist and predoctoral researcher at the Paleobiodiversity and Phylogeny Research Group of the Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont. They obtained a degree in Biology from the Universidad de Puerto Rico, where their research focused mainly on species richness in the Caribbean, as well as marine sea turtle conservation, working with Vida Marina (Center for Conservation and Ecological Restoration. Additionally, they have worked with endangered species of herpetofauna (i.e., Chilabothrus inornatus, Eretmochelys imbricata, Chelonia mydas, Dermochelys coriacea), and have also received a research scholarship from the National Science Foundation’s Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP).

They completed a Masters degree in Paleobiology and the Fossil Record from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the Universitat de Barcelona, focused on European giant tortoise taxonomy and biostratigraphy, with their master thesis titled: “First record of Titanochelon richardi from the late Miocene (MN10) locality of ROS-D6 (Vallès-Penedès Basin, NE Iberian Peninsula)”.

Currently they are completing their doctoral thesis, and their research is aimed at resolving questions in taxonomy, phylogeny, biostratigraphy, and paleobiology for the giant tortoises of the European Neogene Titanochelon, as well as assessing the paleoecological implications surrounding the phenomenon of gigantism and the rapid diversification of this group throughout the Miocene. Along with their thesis, they collaborate on other projects including multiple paleontological excavations primarily of the Iberian Peninsula.

They are an FI scholarship beneficiary, funded by the Departament d'Empresa y Conixement (Generalitat de Catalunya), the Agència de Gestió de Ajuts Universitaris i Recerca (AGAUR) and the Secretaria d'Universitats i Recerca (Generalitat de Catalunya ), cofinanced by the Fondo Social Europeo (FSE). Their thesis is directed by Dr. Àngel H. Luján and Dr. David M. Alba.