About American Museum of Natural History

Dr. Ana Luz Porzecanski is a conservation scientist and director of the American Museum of Natural History’s Center for Biodiversity and Conservation (CBC), a research center focused on transforming knowledge—from diverse sources and perspectives, and spanning areas of scientific research as well as traditional and local knowledge—into conservation action.

Dr. David Randle joined the American Museum of Natural History’s Education Department after a 15-year career as a science teacher in the New York City public schools. He is currently the Assistant Director of Curriculum and Instruction and works on programs for teachers though Seminars on Science, the Museum’s online graduate level professional development program, and in face-to-face programs through the Museum’s Gottesman Center for Science Teaching and Learning.

Diego Pol is an Argentinian paleontologist, and is a CONICET researcher working at the Paleontological Museum Egidio Feruglio (MEF) in Trelew, Chubut. He specialises in studying the evolution of dinosaurs and crocodiles from Patagonia.Diego has travelled across Argentina, and to Mongolia and the United States.Diego has helped describe a number of dinosaurs, and was one of the paleontologists from the MEF who described the largest dinosaur discovered, Patagotitan mayoru

Dr. Zehra Dincer is a Stem Cell Educator at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. A native of Turkey, Zehra earned her Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology from the Weill Cornell School of Biomedical Sciences and the Sloan Kettering Institute in New York City. Her doctoral work focused on deriving precursors of sensory organs and pituitary hormones from human embryonic stem cells, and she holds a patent for one of her discoveries. Zehra has long mentored and tutored incoming graduate students and is a frequent participant in science education and outreach programs. As a frequent visitor to the Museum with her husband and two young children, Zehra is excited to share her love of stem cells with the wider community.

Dr. Mathez is an igneous petrologist and geochemist. He has written on a range of topics, such as how basaltic magmas differentiate and solidify, how platinum group element deposits form, and how carbon in rocks influences physical properties. He has had a long interest in the character and evolution of early Earth and issues associated with climate change. His interests have led him to do field work in various parts of the globe, from North America to South Africa and from Greenland to the deep ocean. He was the lead curator of the Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth and co-curated the temporary exhibition Climate Change: The Threat to Life and a New Energy Future.

Dr. Cracraft’s research on the systematics and evolution of birds, speciation analysis, and biogeography are all components of his interests in understanding how biotas originate and change over time, and how one understands patterns and processes of diversification. A major research effort in his laboratory involves a detailed description of one of the most spectacular examples of "adaptive radiation": the birds of paradise (Paradisaeidae) of New Guinea and surrounding areas. A second major research project involving his research group is contributing to building the avian Tree of Life. The focus of this research is on the phylogenetic history of the songbirds, which comprise about 60% of all living birds. A related research effort is being put into the analysis of speciation and biogeography of various birds. He and his students have undertaken research on numerous groups of birds in most areas of the world, particularly Latin America and Australasia. Dr. Cracraft has also undertaken research contributing to conservation biology. He and coworkers have published several papers on species concepts and their implications for conservation, and have conducted a genetic study of species limits in tigers. He has also written extensively on biodiversity issues.

John Sparks is an American biologist who has held positions at the American Museum of Natural History. He has been involved in research related to Ichthyology, the study of fish, and has contributed significantly to the field through his work at AMNH.John Sparks has collaborated with other researchers and institutions on projects related to marine biology and ichthyology.

Dr. Kinzler is Senior Director of Science Education, and Co-Director of the MAT program at the American Museum of Natural History. Before joining the Museum’s Education Division, Dr. Kinzler’s research career involved investigating planetary differentiation through melting at Columbia’s Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory and in the Museum’s Earth and Planetary Sciences Department. In 1999, Dr. Kinzler co-curated the Museum's Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth, and then joined the Museum’s National Center for Science Literacy, Education and Technology. With a mission to take the Museum’s unparalleled resources beyond its walls, the National Center creates a full spectrum of science education products that integrate authentic science with standards-based curriculum design and innovative use of technology. In 2010 Dr. Kinzler assumed senior management of the Gottesman Center for Science Teaching and Learning.

Dr. DeSalle works in molecular systematics, microbial evolution, and genomics. His current research concerns the development of bioinformatic tools to handle large-scale genomics problems using phylogenetic systematic approaches. Dr. DeSalle has worked closely with colleagues from Cold Spring Harbor Labs, New York University, and the New York Botanical Garden on seed plant genomics and development of tools to establish gene family membership on a genome- wide scale. His group also focuses on microbial genomics, taxonomy, and systematics. In particular, they approach tree-of-life questions concerning microbial life using whole genome information. He also dabbles in Drosophila systematics.

Dr. Tillinger holds a Ph.D. in ocean and climate physics from Columbia University. She works at the American Museum of Natural History as an educator on climate change and at Marymount Manhtattan College as an adjunct professor of physics. Her current research is based at NASA/GISS and focuses on the effects of declining sea ice on global climate. In addition to formal science education, Dr. Tillinger also presents scientific information through the arts in character as "Dr. Mermaid."