Paul Sereno

Paul Sereno
Name	Paul Sereno
Birth date	1957
Birth place	Aurora, Illinois
Nationality	American
Fields	Paleontology, Paleobiology
Workplaces	University of Chicago, Field Museum of Natural History
Alma mater	University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Columbia University
Known for	Dinosaur discoveries, African expeditions

Paul Sereno is an American vertebrate paleontologist and professor known for leading major fossil expeditions and describing multiple Mesozoic dinosaurs. He has held academic posts at the University of Chicago and collaborated with institutions such as the Field Museum of Natural History and the National Geographic Society. His work spans field excavation, comparative anatomy, and public outreach through documentaries and popular books.

Early life and education

Sereno was born in Aurora, Illinois, and raised in Naperville with formative experiences that led him into natural history. He studied at the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign where he earned undergraduate degrees before pursuing graduate study at Columbia University under mentors who influenced his vertebrate paleontology focus. His doctoral work connected him with curators and researchers at the Field Museum of Natural History, the American Museum of Natural History, and collaborators from the Smithsonian Institution and Natural History Museum, London.

Paleontological career

Sereno's academic appointment has been at the University of Chicago where he served as a professor and curator, coordinating research with the Field Museum of Natural History and international museums. He has authored taxonomic descriptions published in journals and monographs alongside scientists from the Royal Ontario Museum, the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, and the Max Planck Society. His career includes advisory and board roles with the National Geographic Society, the National Science Foundation, and the Explorers Club.

Major discoveries and expeditions

Sereno led field teams that discovered and described genera across Africa, Asia, and South America. Notable finds include theropods and sauropods from the Tendaguru Formation, the Téne¯ré Desert, and the Moroccan Kem Kem Beds, places tied to prior work at the American Museum of Natural History and Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences. His teams recovered specimens comparable in significance to finds by Mary Anning, Othniel Charles Marsh, Edward Drinker Cope, and Richard Owen. Sereno's expeditions collaborated with national governments and research institutes such as the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (Paris), the Nigeriensis Institute of Paleontology, the Egyptian Geological Museum, and the Sudanese Geological Directorate.

Research methods and collaborations

Sereno's methodology combines stratigraphic field mapping, screen-washing, and comparative osteology informed by collections at institutions like the Field Museum of Natural History and the American Museum of Natural History. He has worked with specialists in histology from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and biomechanical modelers at Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Collaborators span taxonomists from the Natural History Museum, London, sedimentologists from the University of Oxford, and paleoartists associated with the Smithsonian Institution and National Academy of Sciences.

Media, public outreach, and publications

Sereno has appeared in documentary series produced by the National Geographic Society, the BBC, and PBS, and has written for outlets connected to the New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine, and Scientific American. His books and monographs are used alongside works by authors such as Stephen Jay Gould, Richard Fortey, and David Attenborough in public exhibitions at venues like the Field Museum of Natural History and the Natural History Museum, London. Outreach partnerships include collaboration with broadcasters such as Discovery Channel and BBC Natural History Unit, as well as educational programs run with the Explorers Club and the World Wildlife Fund.

Awards and honors

Sereno's recognitions include named taxa and honors from scientific societies and institutions. He has been acknowledged by organizations including the National Geographic Society, the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Explorers Club. Museums such as the Field Museum of Natural History and the American Museum of Natural History have exhibited specimens from his expeditions, and he has received prizes and fellowships tied to the National Science Foundation and international paleontological institutes.

Category:American paleontologists Category:University of Chicago faculty