American Museum of Natural History Research Library
author: American Museum of Natural History

Schaefer, Scott Allen 1958-
Scott A. Schaefer is the Dean of Science for Collections, Exhibitions, and the Public Understanding of Science and Curator, Department of Ichthyology, Division of Vertebrate Zoology at the American Museum of Natural History. He also is a Principal Investigator, Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics and Professor, Richard Gilder Graduate School.
Dr. Scott Schaefer studies the systematics, biogeography, and evolutionary morphology of tropical freshwater fishes of Africa and South America. Fieldwork involves discovery of undescribed fish diversity in poorly known regions, such as the Amazon and Orinoco Rivers of South America. Current projects include systematics and biogeography of Andean freshwater fishes and taxonomic revision of the family Astroblepidae, a group of catfishes that live at high elevations in the Andes of South America. Recent fieldwork in Peru, Ecuador, and Venezuela has surveyed the diversity of Andean fishes up to 4,500 m (14,760 ft.) elevation and resulted in the addition to the Museum of several new and important collections.