Faculty Bio

Dr. Stephanie Blais

Assistant Professor, Biology

I grew up in Nova Scotia and completed a B.Sc. at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish. During my time at St.F.X., I became interested in palaeontology and traveled to the University of Alberta for graduate school. I completed my Ph.D. in evolutionary biology and systematics in 2015. My past research has focused primarily on Palaeozoic fishes, but I am broadly interested in the anatomy, functional morphology, and classification of vertebrates in general.

I began teaching at St. Mary’s University in 2017 as part-time faculty, and as a full-time faculty member in 2023. I typically teach the incoming Biology majors, as well as upper-level courses in zoology and evolution.

In my spare time, I love to read fiction – ideally with a hot beverage in a comfortable chair.

Specialization/Research Interest:

Teaching Interests
Introductory Biology, Vertebrate and Invertebrate Zoology, Evolution, Phylogenetics, Anatomy and Physiology

Education

Ph.D. Biology (Evolution and Systematics), University of Alberta, Edmonton AB
B. Sc. (Honours) Earth Sciences, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish NS

  • Blais, S. A. Precise occlusion and trophic niche differentiation indicate specialized feeding in Early Devonian jawed vertebrates. FACETS 2:513–530.
  • Blais, S. A., Hermus, C. R., and M. V. H. Wilson. 2015. Four new Early Devonian ischnacanthid acanthodians from the Mackenzie Mountains, Northwest Territories, Canada: an early experiment in dental diversity. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 35(1):e948546.
  • Murphy, J. B., Blais, S. A., Tubrett, M., McNeil, D., and M. Middleton. 2012. Microchemistry of amphiboles near the roof of a mafic magma chamber: Insights into high level melt evolution. Lithos 148:162–175.
  • Blais, S. A., MacKenzie, L. A., and M. V. H. Wilson. 2011. Tooth-like scales in Early Devonian eugnathostomes and the ‘outside-in’ hypothesis for the origins of teeth in vertebrates. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 31:1189–1199.