Professor Mayor's research focuses on evolutionary morphology and functional anatomy, with an emphasis on understanding how the vertebrate skeleton has evolved to meet changing environmental conditions over geological time. She is widely known for her work on the evolution of locomotion in extinct land vertebrates and for her research on the role of environmental change in shaping evolutionary history.
Mayor has published over 150 papers and book chapters, and she is the author or editor of several books, including Vertebrate Paleontology, The Evolutionary Biology of the Reptilia, and Life's Engines: How Microbes Made Earth Habitable. She has also served on numerous editorial boards and advisory committees, and she is a member of several scientific societies, including the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
In addition to her research and scholarly activities, Mayor is also a gifted communicator and educator. She has lectured widely to both academic and general audiences, and she has appeared in several television documentaries, including Nova, Nature, and PBS Eons. She has also been featured in numerous news articles and interviews, and she writes regularly for several popular science blogs and websites.
Mayor's work has been recognized with several awards and honors, including the Charles Schuchert Award from the Paleontological Society, the Romer-Simpson Award from the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, and the MacArthur Fellowship. She is also the recipient of numerous honorary degrees, and she has been elected to membership in several prestigious scientific societies, including the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the Linnean Society of London.