Kelly Pfeiler

Graduate Student - Paleobotany

Contact Info

kelly.pfeiler@ku.edu

Haworth Hall
1200 Sunnyside Ave
Lawrence, KS 66045

Education —

B.S. in Botany, Humboldt State University, 2018
Summa Cum Laude

M.S. in Biology, Humboldt State University, 2020
with Distinction

Research —

Research areas: plant evolution, plant anatomy, Early Devonian euphyllophytes, evolution of secondary growth, Cupressaceae s.l.

Selected Publications —

Pfeiler, K.C., Bippus, A.C., Kammet, A., Ortiz, A., Escapa, I.H., Tomescu, A.M.F. 2025. Expanded character sampling inspired by a new Cretaceous conifer seed cone from California: importance of morphology in resolving relationships among the Cupressaceae.Annals of Botany, mcaf099.

Pfeiler, K.C., Matsunaga, K.K.S., Atkinson, B.A. 2025. Permineralized pollen cone of Classostrobus minutus sp. nov. provide evidence of pollinivory in the extinct conifer family Cheirolepidiaceae during the Late Cretaceous. International Journal of Plant Sciences 168(4): 271–281.

Pfeiler, K.C., Tomescu, A.M.F. 2023. Mosaic assembly of regulatory programs for vascular cambial growth: a view from the Early Devonian. New Phytologist 240: 529–541.

Iler, A., CaraDonna, P., Richardson, L., Wu, E., Pfeiler, K., Freymiller, G., Godfrey, K., Gorman, A., Wilson, N., Whitford, M., Edmonds, G., Stratton, C., Jules, E. 2022. Genotype accounts for intraspecific variation in the timing and duration of multiple, sequential life‐cycle events in a willow species. American Journal of Botany 110: e16112.

Pfeiler, K.C., Tomescu, A.M.F. 2020. An Early Devonian actinostelic euphyllophyte with secondary growth from the Emsian of Gaspé (Canada) and the importance of tracheid wall thickening patterns in early euphyllophyte systematics. Papers in Palaeontology 7: 1081–1095.

Pfeiler, K.C., Tomescu, A.M.F. 2018. An Early Devonian permineralized rhyniopsid from the Battery Point Formation of Gaspé (Canada). Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 187: 292–302.

Selected Presentations —

Pfeiler, K.C., Smith, S., Iglesias, A., Matsunaga, K., Atkinson, B. 2025. Cretaceous calcareous concretion containing callitroid Cupressaceae cone cluster. Botanical Society of America. Palm Springs, CA.

Avelar, A., Pfeiler, K.C., Nguyen, A., Matsunaga, K. 2025. Investigating the anatomy of Torreya californica (Taxaceae) seed cones. Botanical Society of America. Palm Springs, CA

Pfeiler, K.C. Atkinson, B., Matsunaga, K. 2024. Exploring the phylogenetic relationships of fossil Cupressaceae. Poster presentation. International Organization of Paleobotany Conference. Prague, Czech Republic.

Pfeiler, K.C. Atkinson, B., Matsunaga, K. 2024. Exploring the phylogenetic relationships of fossil Cupressaceae. Poster presentation. University of Kansas Networking Reception ft. the Self Graduate Fellowship. Sorbonne University, Campus des Cordeliers. Paris, France.

Pfeiler, K.C., Menning, R., Atkinson, B., Yamada, T., Matsunaga, K. 2024. Cupressaceous seed cones from the Cretaceous of Hokkaido, Japan. Mid-Continent Paleobotanical Colloquium. Chicago, IL.

Pfeiler, K.C., Matsunaga, K., Smith, S., Iglesias, A., Atkinson, B. 2023. Seed cones of Callitroideae (Cupressaceae) from the Late Cretaceous of Antarctica. Botanical Society of America. Boise, Idaho.

Serbet, R., Andruchow-Colombo, A., Elgorriaga, A., Nguyen, A.T., Nibbelink, M., Pfeiler, K.C., Tang, K., Atkinson, B., Matsunaga, K. 2023. An exclusive look at a diverse coal swamp flora from the Pennsylvanian of Lawrence, Kansas. Botanical Society of America. Boise, Idaho.

Pfeiler, K.C., Matsunaga, K., Smith, K., Iglesias, A., Atkinson, B. 2023. Seed cones of Callitroideae (Cupressaceae) from the Late Cretaceous of Antarctica. Poster presentation. Madison and Lila Self Graduate Fellowship Public Poster Session. Lawrence, KS.

Pfeiler, K.C. Atkinson, B., Matsunaga, K. 2022. Anatomically preserved cheirolepidiaceous pollen cones from the Cretaceous of western North America. Botanical Society of America. Anchorage, AK.

Pfeiler, K.C., Matsunaga, K., Peterson, A., Atkinson, B. 2021. A new anatomically-preserved cupressaceous seed cone from the Paleogene of Washington State. Botanical Society of America (Virtual).

Pfeiler, K.C., Tomescu, A.M.F. 2021. Early Devonian evidence for modular assembly of the regulatory toolkit for secondary growth. Midcontinent Paleobotanical Colloquium (Virtual).

Pfeiler, K.C., Tomescu, A.M.F. 2021. Early Devonian euphyllophyte anatomy reveals a mosaic pattern of expression of regulatory modules responsible for secondary growth. Progressive Paleontology (Virtual).

Pfeiler, K.C., Tomescu, A.M.F. 2019. A new type of Early Devonian wood-producing euphyllophyte from Gaspé (Canada). Botanical Society of America Meeting, Tucson, AZ.

Iler, A., CaraDonna, P., Pfeiler, K.C, Richardson, L., Freymiller, G., Godfrey, K., Gorman, A., Whitford, M., Wilson, N., Wu, E., Jules, E. 2019. Genotype accounts for intraspecific variation in the timing and duration of life cycle events in a dioecious willow species. Ecological Society of America, Louisville, Kentucky.

Pfeiler, K.C., Tomescu, A.M.F. 2018. How many times did wood splinter? Closing in on the origins of secondary growth in euphyllophytes. 10th European Palaeobotany and Palynology Conference, Dublin, Ireland.

Pfeiler, K.C., Bippus, A., Kammet, A., Ortiz, A., Escapa, I., Tomescu, A. 2018. Fossils and seed cone morphology in the resolution of phylogenetic relationships among basal Cupressaceae s.l. 10th European Palaeobotany and Palynology Conference, Dublin Ireland.

Pfeiler, K.C., Ortiz, A., Kammet, A., Bippus, A., Tomescu, A. 2017. Exploring the relationships of an anatomically-preserved cupressaceous seed cone from the Lower Cretaceous of California. Botanical Society of America Meeting, Fort Worth, TX.

Pfeiler, K.C., Tomescu, A.M.F. 2016. An anatomically preserved Early Devonian rhyniopsid from the Battery Point Formation (Gaspé, Canada). Botanical Society of America Meeting, Savannah, GA.

Awards & Honors —

Mid-Continent Paleobotanical Colloquium: Best Student Presentation Award. 2024.
Botanical Society of America Paleobotany Section: Isabel Cookson Award. 2022.
Cal Poly Humboldt: Patricia O. McConkey Outstanding Graduate Student Award. 2022.
Cal Poly Humboldt Milton J. Boyd Outstanding Teaching Associate Award. 2019.
Cal Poly Humboldt Gregory Mark Jennings Botany Award (Outstanding Graduate Student in Botany Award). 2019.
Cal Poly Humboldt Dennis K. Walker Award (Top Graduating Botany Major of the Year). 2018.
Botanical Society of America Young Botanist Award. 2018.
Cal Poly Humboldt Outstanding Student Award – Excellence in an Academic Discipline: College of Natural Resources & Sciences. 2018.

Grants & Other Funded Activity —

Biodiversity Institute Panorama Grant. 2023.
Mary Harkey Hall Endowment in Plant Biology. 2023.
University of Kansas CLAS Graduate Scholarly Development Fund award. 2021.
Association for Women Geoscientists Osage Chapter Research Scholarship. 2021.
University of Kansas Madison and Lila Self Graduate Fellowship. 2020.
University of Kansas Chancellor’s Fellowship (declined). 2020.
Patricia O. McConkey Outstanding Graduate Student Award. Humboldt State University. 2020
U.S. National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. 2019.
Master’s Grant. Humboldt State University. 2019
Gregory Mark Jennings Botany Award. Humboldt State University. 2019
Milton J. Boyd Outstanding Teaching Associate Award. Humboldt State University. 2019.
Geological Society of America Graduate Research Grant. 2018.
Paleontological Society Kenneth E. & Annie Caster Research Award. 2017.
Botanical Society of America Undergraduate Research Grant. 2017.