Justin Andell, Biology and Geology

Throughout Justin Andell’s life he always had a dream, one where he could study paleontology and become a professor in the field.

“I have always wanted to be a paleontologist so ‘choosing’ this path for a career was made long before I even applied to Stockton,” said the Somerville resident.

At Stockton he took several steps closer to making that dream come true.

Andell, a Geology and Biology major, chose to transfer to Stockton after earning his associate degree at Raritan Valley Community college because he was looking for a school where he could build a foundation to become a paleontologist.

“My undergraduate advisors, Professor Margaret Lewis and Professor Matthew Bonnan, proved to be immensely helpful in helping me overcome my career naivety as they put me onto research projects, explained the jobs available in the field and, most importantly, they taught me how to approach graduate advisors and continue my journey as a paleontologist beyond the doors of Stockton,” Andell said.

While at Stockton, he completed a three-year-long independent study with Bonnan, studying the geometry of the ulna, the bone within the forearm that enables elbow and wrist function.

Concurrently, he served as an undergraduate teaching assistant for three courses: Paleobiology with Lewis, Comparative Anatomy with Bonnan, and Physical Geology with Associate Professor Matthew “Rocky” Severs.

“In short, Stockton gave me the opportunity to research and lead courses like I was a graduate student while still being an undergrad,” he said.

He also gained experience preparing and curating specimens from the Roger Wood Fossil collection while under the direction of Lewis and visiting Harvard University’s Museum of Comparative Zoology, an opportunity afforded through the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates Grant.

In 2024, Andell attended the largest gathering of vertebrate paleontologists in the United States, the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Andell said his favorite experience as a Stockton student was conducting field geology in the Catskill Mountains in New York. “The views were absolutely beautiful and the misadventures of under packing warm weather gear and over packing food made for funny stories,” he said.

“Additionally, the geology, fossils and history of the region were utterly enamoring, and I loved spending multiple days analyzing the minute details of the geologic sequence we were studying to make a high-quality geologic bedrock map of the region,” Andell said.

After graduation Andell plans to publish his undergraduate research hopes to complete a doctoral degree in paleontology or evolutionary biology so he can become a professor in the field.