BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University alumnus Jared Voris '16 is the lead author of a new Nature study identifying a new species of dinosaur. The discovery fills a key gap in the fossil record of tyrannosaurs, revealing how they evolved to become apex predators.
Voris identified the new species while studying two partial skeletons found in Mongolia in the 1970s and housed at the Mongolian Academy of Sciences for decades. The research team named it Khankhuuluu mongoliensis, which translates to “dragon prince of Mongolia.” Khankhuuluu is a smaller ancestor of the Tyrannosaurus rex (“the tyrant lizard king”).
Voris graduated from App State with his bachelor's degree in geology with a concentration in paleontology in 2016. As a student at App State, he conducted undergraduate research and completed a senior thesis under the guidance of Dr. Andrew Heckert, professor of vertebrate paleontology in the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences.
Voris is currently completing his Ph.D. in geology and geophysics at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. His research is advised by Dr. Darla Zelenitsky, associate professor of paleontology and principal dinosaur researcher in the Department of Earth, Energy, and Environment. Dr. Zelenitsky is a co-author of the Nature publication.
Previously, Voris identified a new species of tyrannosaurid dinosaur while studying skull fragments for his master's thesis. His findings received worldwide attention in the news media in 2020, and the work became the focus of his Ph.D. research. In an interview with Jan Todd for Appalachian Today, Voris praised App State's Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences for providing undergraduate students with high-level research experiences that prepare them for graduate school.
To read more about the discovery of Khankhuuluu, check out articles by ABC News, BBC, CBS News, CNN, National Geographic, Phys.org, Reuters, Science, Smithsonian Magazine, The Guardian, The Independent, and The Washington Post.
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As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, cost-effective education. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at appstate.edu.
By Lauren Gibbs
June 18, 2025
BOONE, N.C.
UCalgary paleontologist Darla Zelenitsky and PhD candidate Jared Voris, left, helped identify the dinosaur species using fossils found in Mongolia. Photo by Riley Brandt, University of Calgary
UCalgary paleontologist Darla Zelenitsky and PhD candidate Jared Voris, left, helped identify the dinosaur species using fossils found in Mongolia. Photo by Riley Brandt, University of Calgary