Łukasz CZEPIŃSKI, Ph.D.

Evolution and paleobiology of archosaurs

ORCID ID: 0000-0002-8621-3888

 

Contact

Łukasz Czepiński
Institute of Paleobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences
ul. Twarda 51/55
00-818 Warsaw, POLAND
e-mail: lczepinski@twarda.pan.pl
phone: (+48 22) 697-88-74; room: 122

ResearchGate: Łukasz Czepiński

CV

Personal data

Łukasz Czepiński,
Born in 1992, Przeworsk, Poland.

Academic degrees

  • 2021. Ph.D. in Biological sciences: “Time and space coordinates of the Late Cretaceous vertebrate succession in the Gobi”. Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw
  • 2017. M.Sc. in biology: “Ontogeny and variability of the protoceratopsid dinosaur Bagaceratops from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia”, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw
  • 2014. B.Sc. in biology: „Lepospondyli (Tetrapoda:Amphibia) and their significance for the evolution of Lissamphibia”. Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw


Employment

  • 2022 – present: assistant in the Institute of Paleobiology PAS
  • 2020 – 2021: research assistent, Institute of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw


Research grants

  • 2025–present: Principal Investigator in the National Science Centre (NCN) SONATA grant “Evolution of dinosaurs and their kin in the Late Triassic of northern Pangaea”
  • 2022–2025: Postdoctoral Researcher (Executive) in the National Science Centre (NCN) OPUS grant “Historical biogeography and diversity of the ornithischian dinosaurs from the Jurassic and Cretaceous of the European archipelago” Principal Investigator: Daniel Madzia PhD)
  • 2020–2024: Principal Investigator in the National Science Centre (NCN) PRELUDIUM grant “Early diversification of archosaurs at the dawn of the Dinosaur Era”
  • 2020–2022: Principal Investigator in the National Science Centre (NCN) ETIUDA grant “Time and space coordinates of the Late Cretaceous vertebrate succession in the Gobi”
  • 2020: Principal Investigator in the University of Warsaw microgrant “Diversity of dinosaurs in the Late Cretaceous of the Gobi Desert”
  • 2019: Executive in the National Science Centre (NCN) OPUS grant “The end of the mammal-like reptile era in Europe” (Principal Investigator: dr hab. Tomasz Sulej, Ph.D., D.Sc)
  • 2019: Principal Investigator in the University of Warsaw ZIP project (research visit to Beijing, China)
  • 2018: Principal Investigator in the University of Warsaw intramural grant “Description of a paleontological site with the remains of the oldest carnivorous dinosaur from present-day Poland”
  • 2017: Principal Investigator in the University of Warsaw POWR project (research visit to the USA)
  • 2016: Principal Investigator in the Universitatis Varsoviensis Foundation project “Diversity of horned dinosaurs from Central Asia”
  • 2012: Principal Investigator in the University of Warsaw intramural grant “Reinterpretation of Velocipes, the first dinosaur described from present-day Poland”


Research trips and internships

  • 2025 (May): research visit to the Natural History Museum (London, United Kingdom)
  • 2024 (June): research visit to the University of Bucharest (Bucharest, Romania), Babeș-Bolyai University (Cluj-Napoca, Romania), and the Muzeul Civilizaţiei Dacice şi Romane (Deva, Romania)
  • 2024 (June): research visit to the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing, China)
  • 2024 (May): research visit to the Institute of Paleontology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences (Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia)
  • 2024 (April): research visit to the Hungarian Natural History Museum (Budapest, Hungary)
  • 2024 (April): research visit to the Paleontological Institute, University of Vienna (Vienna, Austria)
  • 2024 (March): research visit to the Musée des Dinosaures (Espéraza, France)
  • 2023 (November): research visit to the Museum für Naturkunde (Berlin, Germany)
  • 2023 (November): research visit to the Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (Berlin, Germany)
  • 2023 (November): research visit to the Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart (Stuttgart, Germany)
  • 2023 (November): research visit to the Natural History Museum of Marseille (Marseille, France)
  • 2023 (April): research visit to the American Museum of Natural History (New York, USA)
  • 2023 (March): research visit to the Indian Statistical Institute (Kolkata, India)
  • 2022 (May): research visit to the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology (Drumheller, Canada)
  • 2022 (May): research visit to the Canadian Museum of Nature (Ottawa, Canada)
  • 2022 (May): research visit to the Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto, Canada)
  • 2022 (March–June): research internship at the University of Alberta (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)
  • 2019 (November): research visit to the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing, China)
  • 2018 (May): research visit to the Natural History Museum (London, United Kingdom)
  • 2017 (December): research visit to the American Museum of Natural History (New York, USA)
  • 2017 (December): research visit to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (Washington, DC, USA)
  • 2017 (November): research visit to the Arizona Museum of Natural History (Mesa, Arizona, USA)
  • 2017 (November): research visit to the Natural History Museum of Utah (Salt Lake City, Utah, USA)
  • 2017 (September–November): two-month research internship at the Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology (Claremont, California, USA)
  • 2017 (March): research visit to the Hungarian Natural History Museum (Budapest, Hungary)
  • 2017 (February): research visit to the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (Brussels, Belgium)
  • 2016 (November): research visit to the Paleontological Museum, Paleontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow, Russia)
  • 2016 (October): research visit to the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing, China)
  • 2016 (September–October): research visit to the Institute of Paleontology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences (Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia)
  • 2016 (April): research visit to the Natural History Museum Vienna (Vienna, Austria)
  • 2015 (November): research visit to the Paleontological Museum, Paleontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow, Russia)
  • 2012 (November): research visit to the Geologisch-Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, University of Hamburg (Hamburg, Germany)


Field experience

  • 2019 – present: leading of the excavations in Miedary (Poland)
  • 2017 – present: leading of the excavations in Kocury (Poland)
  • 2022 (May): participation in excavations in the Dinosaur Provincial Park (Alberta, Canada)
  • 2019 (April): co-organization of the excavations in Kess-Kess and Kem Kem (Morocco)
  • 2017 (April): co-organization of the excavations in Kess-Kess and Kem Kem (Morocco)
  • 2016 (September): participation in the field excursion to the Gobi Desert (Mongolia)
  • 2015 – 2018: co-leading of the excavations in Miedary (Poland)
  • 2012: participation in the in Woźniki (Poland)
  • 2010 – 2014: participation in the in Krasiejów (Poland)
  • 2010 – 2013: participation in the in Lisowice (Poland)


Academic teaching

  • 2015 – 2021: co-teacher of the practical classes „Field Paleobiology”, University of Warsaw
  • 2020 – 2021: co-teacher of the practical classes „Biological Diversity”, University of Warsaw
  • 2017 – 2021: co-teacher of the practical classes „Zoology”, University of Warsaw
  • 2015 – 2020: co-teacher of the practical classes „History of Life”, University of Warsaw


Awards and prizes

  • 2016 Scholarship of the Polish Ministry of Education
  • 2015 Scholarship of the Polish Ministry of Education


Popular science activity

  • 2024: Polish translation of selected chapters of the book “Biologia wokół nas” (“Life. The Science of Biology”)  by David M. Hillis et al. (Wydawnictwo PWN)
  • 2024. Polish translation of the book “Życie na Ziemi” (“Life on Earth”) by David Attenborough (Polish Scientific Publishers PWN)
  • 2024. Polish translation of the book “Na ścieżkach życia” (“Trials of Life”) by David Attenborough (Polish Scientific Publishers PWN)
  • 2022: technical consultation of the Polish translation of the book “Poznaj z bliska dinozaury” by Diego Mattarelli, Emanuela Pagliari, and Cristina Banfi (Publisher: Wydawnictwo Słowne)
  • 2021: technical consultation of the Polish translation of the book „Gabinet dinozaurów" by Lucy Brownridge (Wydawnictwo Dwie Siostry)
  • 2021: technical consultation of the Polish translation of the book „Uniwersytet Dziecięcy” by Urlich Janssen and Ulla Steuernagel (Wydawnictwo Dwie Siostry)
  • 2005 – present: editor-in-chief of popular science website Dinozaury.com

 

Publications
 

Scientific papers

Yun, C.-G. & Czepiński, Ł. 2025. Craniomandibular ontogeny of protoceratopsid dinosaurs indicates the possibility of an ontogenetic dietary shift. Lethaia, 58:1-17. http://doi.org/10.18261/let.58.3.8
 
Czepiński Ł., Madzia D. 2025. Exploring the diversity and disparity of rhabdodontomorph ornithopods from the Late Cretaceous European archipelago. Scientific Reports 15: 15209.
 
Czepiński, Ł. & Madzia, D. 2024. Osteology, phylogenetic affinities, and palaeobiogeographic significance of the bizarre ornithischian dinosaur Ajkaceratops kozmai from the Late Cretaceous European archipelago. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, zlae048.
 
Czepiński, Ł., Pawlak, W., Rytel, A., Tałanda, M., Szczygielski, T. & Sulej, T. 2023. A new Middle Triassic vertebrate assemblage from Miedary (southern Poland). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, e2265445.

Czepiński, Ł. 2023. Skull of a dromaeosaurid dinosaur Shri devi from the Upper Cretaceous of the Gobi Desert suggests convergence to the North American forms. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 68 (2) 2023: 227-243.

Czepiński Ł., Dróżdż, D., Szczygielski, T., Tałanda M., Pawlak, W., Lewczuk A., Rytel, A., Sulej, T. 2021. An Upper Triassic terrestrial vertebrate assemblage from the forgotten Kocury locality (Poland) with a new aetosaur taxon. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, pp. e1898977, 2021.

Czepiński Ł., 2020. New protoceratopsid specimens improve the age correlation of the Upper Cretaceous Gobi Desert strata. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 65: 481–497.

Czepiński Ł., 2020. Ontogeny and variation of protoceratopsid dinosaur Bagaceratops rozhdestvenskyi from the Late Cretaceous of the Gobi Desert. Historical Biology 32: 1394-1421.

Pawlak, W., Czepiński, Ł., Majchrzyk, A., Duk, K. 2019. Przegląd skamieniałości kręgowców i flory z terenów dzisiejszej Polski zgromadzonych w Muzeum Historii Naturalnej w Wiedniu [Revision of fossils from the current territory of Poland housed in the Natural History Museum in Vienna]. Przegląd Geologiczny 67: 48-55.

Skawiński, T., Ziegler, M., Czepiński, Ł., Szermański, M., Tałanda, M., Surmik, D. & Niedźwiedzki, G., 2017. A re-evaluation of the historical 'dinosaur' remains from the Middle-Late Triassic of Poland. Historical Biology 29 (4): 442-472.
 

Conference abstracts

Czepiński, Ł., Augustin F.J., Magyar, J., Bastiaans, D., Botfalvai, G., Madzia, D. & Csiki-Sava, Z. 2025. Reevaluating the diversity and disparity of Transylvanian rhabdodontid dinosaurs. 21st Meeting of European Association of Vertebrate Paleontology. Kraków, Poland.

Czepiński, Ł. & Madzia, D. 2024. New insights into the lower jaw disparity in rhabdodontid ornithopods and their taxonomic implications. 84th Annual Meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. Minneapolis, USA

Czepiński, Ł. & Madzia, D. 2024. Morphological disparity of the lower jaws in rhabdodontid dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous European archipelago. Joint Meeting Of The Polish Paleobiologists, and The 95th Annual Meeting of the Paläontologische Gesellschaft (Palges), Warsaw, Poland.

Czepiński, Ł. & Madzia, D. 2024. Reevaluating the taxic diversity of Rhabdodontidae in the Late Cretaceous European archipelago. 20th Meeting of European Association of Vertebrate Paleontology. Spitsbergen, Norway.

Rytel, A., Czepiński, Ł., Pawlak, W., Tałanda, M., Szczygielski, T. & Sulej, T. 2024. The massive accumulation of vertebrate remains from the lowermost Keuper (Middle Triassic) of Miedary, Upper Silesia -  a unique snapshot of the Muschelkalk Sea regression. IV Polski Kongres Geologiczny, Poznań, Poland [10-14 VI 2024]

Czepiński Ł. 2023. Diversity of archosauriform teeth from a new Ladinian (Middle Triassic) site of Poland. 6th International Meeting of Early-Staged Researchers in Palaeontology. Lourinha, Portugal. [12-14 IV 2023]

Rytel, A., Tałanda, M., Czepiński, Ł., Pawlak, W., Szczygielski, T., & Sulej, T. 2023. Tanystropheus hotspot in a new Middle Triassic vertebrate assemblage from Southern Poland. 19th Meeting of European Association of Vertebrate Paleontology. Sabadell, Spain. [26 VI – 1 VII 2023]

Madzia, D. & Czepiński Ł. 2022. Revised osteology and phylogenetic affinities of Ajkaceratops kozmai from the Santonian (Upper Cretaceous) of Hungary. 82nd Annual Meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. Toronto, Canada. [2-5 XI 2022]

Czepiński Ł. 2022. A second individual of a dromaeosaurid Shri devi from the Late Cretaceous Baruungoyot Formation of Mongolia. 82nd Annual Meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. Toronto, Canada. [2-5 XI 2022]

Czepiński Ł., Tałanda, M., Rytel, A., Pawlak, W., Szczygielski, T. & Sulej, T. 2022. A Middle Triassic bonebed with aquatic and terrestrial vertebrates In Miedary, Poland. 82nd Annual Meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. Toronto, Canada. [2-5 XI 2022]

Rytel, A., Tałanda, M., Czepiński, Ł. & Sulej T. 2022. The large, the small and the unusual – a new, multispecific tanystropheid assemblage from southern Poland. 18th Meeting of European Association of Vertebrate Paleontology. Benevento, Italy. [6-9 VII 2021]

Czepiński Ł., Dróżdż, D., Szczygielski, T., Tałanda M., Pawlak, W., Lewczuk A., Rytel, A. & Sulej, T. 2021. An Upper Triassic terrestrial vertebrate assemblage from the forgotten Kocury locality (Poland) with a new aetosaur taxon. 81st Annual Meeting of Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. Online. [3 XI 2021]

Czepiński Ł. 2020. New protoceratopsid specimens improve the age correlation of the Upper Cretaceous Gobi Desert strata. 80th Annual Meeting of Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. Online. [15 XI 2020]

Czepiński, Ł., Pawlak, W., Świś, P., Majchrzyk, A. & Lewczuk, A. 2019. New vertebrate material from the Upper Cretaceous Kem Kem Beds of Morocco. 20th Czech-Polish-Slovak Palaeontological Conference. Chęciny, Poland. [21 XI 2019]

Majchrzyk, A., Świś, P., Pawlak, W., Lewczuk, A. & Czepiński, Ł. 2019. An undescribed locality with carbonate build-ups from the Devonian/Carboniferous transition in the Tafilalt Basin (Anti-Atlas, southern Morocco). 20th Czech-Polish-Slovak Palaeontological Conference. Chęciny, Poland. [22 XI 2019]

Czepiński, Ł. 2019. Anagenesis and cladogenesis in the vertebrate fossil record. A case study for protoceratopsid dinosaurs. 4th International Meeting of Early-Staged Researchers in Palaeontology. Cuenca, Spain. [12 VI 2019]

Czepiński, Ł., Sulej, T., Dróżdż, D., Szczygielski, T., Pawlak, W. & Lewczuk, A. 2019. New data on the Late Triassic vertebrate locality with archosaur and turtle remains in Kocury, Poland. 17th Meeting of European Association of Vertebrate Paleontology. Brussels, Belgium. [1 VII 2019]

Czepiński, Ł. 2018. Tracing the sexual dimorphism in non-avian dinosaurs. Conference of Young Evolutionary Biologists 2018. Cracow, Poland. [26 V 2018] (Awarded presentation)

Czepiński, Ł. 2018. In pursuit of the first “Polish dinosaurs”. 3rd International Meeting of Early-Staged Researchers in Palaeontology. Opole, Poland. [19 V 2018]

Czepiński, Ł. 2018. Convergent evolution of the ceratopsian dinosaurs from the Cretaceous of Asia and North America. Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology Division of Vertebrate Morphology First European Regional Meeting. London, United Kingdom. [11 V 2018]

Czepiński, Ł. 2018. Morphology of the nasal horncore as a potentially sexual dimorphic feature of protoceratopsid dinosaurs. Sexual selection: patterns in the history of life. The Royal Society Scientific Meeting. Newport Pagnell, United Kingdom. [9-10 V 2018]

Majchrzyk, A., Lewczuk, A., Pawlak, W., Czepiński, Ł., Mazur, P., & Staniszewski, K. 2018. Geochemical analysis of the Devonian fossilized fauna from Hamar Laghdad Massif (Anti – Atlas, Morocco). 5th Young Natural History Scientists Meeting. Paris, France. [6-10 III 2018]

Sulej, T., Szczygielski, T., Tałanda, M., & Czepiński, Ł. 2017. New Data on the Middle Triassic Vertebrate Locality in Miedary (Southern Poland). 15th Meeting of European Association of Vertebrate Paleontology. Munich, Germany. [1-3 VIII 2017]

Majchrzyk, A., Czepiński, Ł., Hałubek, D., Lewczuk, A., Mazur, P., Pawlak, W., & Staniszewski, K. 2017. Devonian fauna from Hamar Laghdad Formation (Antiatlas, Moracco). Conference of Young Evolutionary Biologists 2017. Cracow, Poland. [2-4 VI 2017]

Pawlak, W., Majchrzyk, A., Czepiński, Ł., Duk, K. & Mermer, J. 2016. Rewizja skamieniałości z terenów Polski zgromadzonych w Muzeum Historii Naturalnej w Wiedniu. Młodzi w Paleontologii VIII. Opole, Poland. [18-19 XI 2016]

Czepiński, Ł. 2016. Cranial anatomy of Breviceratops kozlowskii (Dinosauria: Ceratopsia) from the Late Cretaceous of Gobi Desert revealed by the Computed Tomography. International Symposium “Cretaceous of Mongolia”. Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. [21-28 IX 2016]

Czepiński, Ł. 2016. Preliminary report on re-discovery of the forgotten Late Triassic locality of Upper Silesia (Poland) with remains of terrestrial archosaurs. 14th Meeting of European Association of Vertebrate Paleontology. Haarlem, Netherlands.

Czepiński, Ł., & Panzarin, L. 2016. An update for the Udanoceratops tschizhovi holotype skull - an (even more) unique ceratopsian dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of the Gobi Desert, Mongolia. 14th Meeting of European Association of Vertebrate Paleontology, Haarlem, Netherlands.

Czepiński, Ł. 2016. On splitting and lumping in biology and paleontology. VIII Student Conference of Evolutionary Biology. Cracow, Poland. (Awarded presentation)

Czepiński, Ł. 2015. On the variability of skulls within Bagaceratops rozhdestvenskyi (Dinosauria: Ceratopsia) from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia. 13th Meeting of European Association of Vertebrate Paleontology. Opole, Poland.

Czepiński, Ł. 2015. New insights on ontogeny of Bagaceratops rozhdestvenskyi (Dinosauria:Ceratopsia) from the Late Cretaceous of Gobi Desert (Mongolia). Progressive Palaeontology. Bristol, United Kingdom.

Czepiński, Ł. 2015. Przed Krasiejowem: Nowe stanowisko ze skamieniałościami kręgowców z dolnego kajpru Śląska. V Konferencja Śląskie Dinozaury (nie tylko) z Krasiejowa. Cracow, Poland.

Czepiński, Ł., Niedźwiedzki, G., Tałanda, M., Skawiński, T., Ziegler, M., Szermański, M. 2014. A re-evaluation of the purported dinosaur finds from Middle-Late Triassic of Poland. 74th Annual Meeting of Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. Berlin, Germany.

Czepiński, Ł., Niedźwiedzki, G., Tałanda, M., Skawiński, T., Ziegler, M., Szermański, M. 2014. Problem triasowych dinozaurów ze Śląska. VI Studencka Konferencja Biologii Ewolucyjnej. Cracow, Poland.

Czepiński, Ł. 2014. Pochodzenie Lissamphibia. III Studencka Konferencja Herpetologiczna. Wrocław, Poland.