Professor
Dr. Sheets has a wide range of research interests, all based on the study of dynamical processes, from a mathematical and statistic perspective. This has include the study of the growth and diversification of biological organisms, such as long term change within lineages, as well as large scale patterns of biodiversity changes, particularly mass extinctions. Some of this work has also led to an involvement with forensics, where Dr. Sheets has been a strong critic of forensic bitemark analysis, and has served on a national level scientific panel charged with establishing best practices in forensic handwriting analysis.
Publications
Sheets, H. David, Charles E. Mitchell, Michael J. Melchin, Jason Loxton, Petr Štorch, Kristi L. Carlucci, and Andrew D. Hawkins. "Graptolite community responses to global climate change and the Late Ordovician mass extinction." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 113, no. 30 (2016): 8380-8385.
Sheets, H. David, Peter J. Bush, Cynthia Brzozowski, Lillian A. Nawrocki, Phyllis Ho, and Mary A. Bush. "Dental Shape Match Rates in Selected and Orthodontically Treated Populations in New York State: A Two‐dimensional Study." Journal of forensic sciences 56, no. 3 (2011): 621-626.
Warren, Eric M., and H. David Sheets. "Statistical approaches to type determination of the ejector marks on cartridge cases." Journal of forensic sciences (2017).
Zelditch, Miriam Leah, Donald L. Swiderski, and H. David Sheets. Geometric morphometrics for biologists: a primer. Academic Press, 2012. (Book).
Xu, Chen, Michael J. Melchin, H. David Sheets, Charles E. Mitchell, and Fan Jun-Xuan. "Patterns and processes of latest Ordovician graptolite extinction and recovery based on data from South China." Journal of Paleontology 79, no. 5 (2005): 842-861.