My research interests and experience include the evolutionary patterns and functional morphology of cranial musculature and feeding systems in large herbivorous dinosaurs, mammals (e.g., elephants), and dicynodonts.
In my extensive work on ornithischian dinosaur jaw mechanisms and cranial morphology (both for my PhD dissertation research and beyond), I have implemented quantitative, qualitative, and illustrative muscle reconstruction techniques to analyze various muscle attachments and mechanical advantages.
In addition, I have used critical analysis of osteological traits to reconstruct musculature and jaw movements more accurately to assess the true diversity of
feeding mechanisms in herbivorous dinosaurs, both between and within subclades.
My studies have explored feeding apparatuses of other herbivorous vertebrates as well, such as the evolution of cranial mechanics in the early synapsid herbivores known as dicynodonts as well as the evolution of the craniomandibular apparatus and proboscis of elephants and their ancestors.
Additionally, I use dissection methods to write and illustrate detailed anatomical descriptions of craniofacial musculature of large herbivorous mammals, including elephants and rhinos.
Nabavizadeh, A Cranial Musculature in Herbivorous Dinosaurs: A Survey of Reconstructed Anatomical Diversity and Feeding Mechanisms Anatomical Record-advances In Integrative Anatomy And Evolutionary Biology 303: 1104-1145, 2020.Nabavizadeh, A New Reconstruction of Cranial Musculature in Ornithischian Dinosaurs: Implications for Feeding Mechanisms and Buccal Anatomy Anatomical Record-advances In Integrative Anatomy And Evolutionary Biology 303: 347-362, 2020.Nabavizadeh, A Proboscidean Cranial Musculature and the Evolution of Jaw Mechanics and the Proboscis in Elephants Journal Of Morphology 280: S188, 2019.Angielczyk, KD, Hancox, PJ, Nabavizadeh, A A re-description of the Triassic kannemeyeriiform dicynodont Sangusaurus (Therapsida, Anomodontia), with an analysis of its feeding system. Journal Of Vertebrate Paleontology 37: 189-227, 2017.Nabavizadeh, A, Weishampel, DB The Predentary Bone and Its Significance in the Evolution of Feeding Mechanisms in Ornithischian Dinosaurs Anatomical Record-advances In Integrative Anatomy And Evolutionary Biology 299: 1358-1388, 2016.Nabavizadeh, A Evolutionary Trends in the Jaw Adductor Mechanics of Ornithischian Dinosaurs Anatomical Record-advances In Integrative Anatomy And Evolutionary Biology 299: 271-294, 2016.Weishampel, DB, Sartin, CE, Nabavizadeh, A Hadrosaurids from the ''lost continent'' of Appalachia Journal Of Vertebrate Paleontology 32: 192, 2012.Nabavizadeh, A Jaw mechanics over proboscidean evolution Journal Of Vertebrate Paleontology 32: 148, 2012.Nabavizadeh, A Thyreophoran jaw mechanics and the functional significance of the predentary bone Journal Of Vertebrate Paleontology 31: 164, 2011.
BS (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (with honors)) University of Kansas, 2009PhD (Functional Anatomy and Evolution) Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 2014