Wonderful Women Wednesday: Dr. Selina R. Cole

Each week, the Archives features a woman who has been a groundbreaker at the Smithsonian, past or present, in a series titled Wonderful Women Wednesday.

Dr. Selina R. Cole has been a research geologist and curator of fossil crinoids at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History since 2020. She specializes in fossil crinoids and Paleozoic invertebrates, and has described more than 20 new crinoid species. Previously, she worked for the Museum as a Springer Postdoctoral Fellow, 2017–18, and as a Predoctoral Fellow, 2017. 

Cole earned her Ph.D. in geology from the Ohio State University, a Bachelor of Science degree in geology from James Madison University, and an Associate of Arts degree from Danville Community College. 

A person holds a fossil above an open cabinet drawer.

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