Mason Dean

My research investigates principles of organization/mechanics in animal muscle-skeletal systems, deriving core concepts in biology and evolution, but also principles relevant for biomedicine, engineering and design. Our group's multidisciplinary studies include investigations of animal biomechanics down to tissue material analyses, applying engineering, computer science and materials science to the natural sciences.

[2026] Chan, T. Y., Kamska, V., Schindler, M., Xie, S., Kong, T. F., Hu, R. & Dean, M. N. A Material Approach to Endangered Species Conservation: Characterization and 3D Imaging of Ballistic Damage in the Casques of Helmeted Hornbill (Rhinoplax vigil). Integrative Organismal Biology, 8(1), obag001. [2026] Li, T., Schindler, M., Paskin, M., Surapaneni, V. A., Scott, E., Hauert, S., Payne, N., Cade, D. E., Goldbogen, J. A., Mollen, F. H., Baum, D., Hanna, S. & Dean, M. N. Functional models from limited data: A parametric and multimodal approach to anatomy and 3D kinematics of feeding in basking sharks (Cetorhinus maximus). The Anatomical Record: Advances in Integrative Anatomy and Evolutionary Biology, 309(9), p. 2262-2285. [2026] Schindler, M., Flaum, B., Manafzadeh, A. R., Kamska, V., Chan