Kirk Johnson (scientist)

Last updated
Kirk Johnson
Director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History Kirk R. Johnson.jpg
Born
Kirk Richard Johnson

1960 (age 64–65)
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Alma mater Amherst College (BA)
University of Pennsylvania (MA)
Yale University (PhD)
Scientific career
Fields Geology
Paleobotany
Institutions Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History

Kirk R. Johnson (born 1960) is an American paleontologist, author, curator, and museum administrator, and is currently serving as Sant Director of Smithsonian 's National Museum of Natural History. [1]

Contents

Early life and education

Johnson was born in 1960 and grew up in Seattle, Washington. [2] [3] He attended Amherst College as an undergraduate, where he received a bachelor's degree in geology and fine arts. He joined Chi Psi fraternity. He then attended the University of Pennsylvania, earning a master's degree in geology and paleobotany. [4] He received his Ph.D. in geology and paleobotany from Yale University in 1989.

While in graduate school, in 1987, Johnson discovered an extinct species of linden leaf, which was named Tilia johnsoni in his honor. [5] His postdoctoral work included field research in the northern Australian rainforests, while he served as a postdoctoral research associate in the department of botany at the University of Adelaide. [6]

Career

From 1991 to 2012, Johnson worked at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, first as a lead scientist, then the chief curator and vice president of research and collections. [7] In 2010, he led a nine-month excavation of thousands of Ice Age animal bones, including mammoths and mastodons, in Snowmass Village, Colorado. [7]

In 2012 Johnson was selected to lead the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., one of the Smithsonian Institution’s most popular museums on the National Mall. [6] He is the host of the PBS Nova series, Making North America , which is a three-part series that describes the shaping of North America, which aired on November 4, 11 and 18, 2015. [8] [9] [10] In 2017 he hosted the three-part PBS series Great Yellowstone Thaw. [11] He is also the host of the two-hour Nova special Polar Extremes, first shown on February 5, 2020, which explores the history of the North and South Poles ranging from ice sheets to warm forests. [12]

Personal life

Johnson's sister, Kirsten Johnson, is a documentary filmmaker and cinematographer, whose Dick Johnson Is Dead explores their father's battle with dementia. [13]

Selected books

Awards and honors

References

  1. ↑ "Kirk Johnson Named Director of Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History" (Press release). Smithsonian. 26 July 2012. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  2. ↑ "The Real Seattle Underground: Rocks, Fossils, and the Future of the Pacific Northwest". Burke Museum. Archived from the original on 6 January 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  3. ↑ "Kirk Johnson". VIAF: Virtual International Authority File. Archived from the original on 31 August 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  4. ↑ "Kirk Johnson to head Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History". Graduate School News and Events. Yale University. 12 November 2012. Archived from the original on 31 August 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  5. ↑ Wesley Wehr (January 2004). The Accidental Collector: Art, Fossils, & Friendships. University of Washington Press. pp. 196 ff. ISBN   978-0-295-80256-5.
  6. 1 2 O’Neal Parker, Lonnae (26 July 2012). "Kirk Johnson named director of Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on 9 April 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  7. 1 2 Zongker, Brett (26 July 2012). "Smithsonian picks paleontologist to lead DC museum". Denver Post . Archived from the original on 31 August 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  8. ↑ "Making North America". PBS. 4 November 2015. Archived from the original on 31 August 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  9. ↑ "Making North America". PBS/SGPTV. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  10. ↑ Catlin, Roger (3 November 2015). "Smithsonian's Kirk Johnson Steps up to be the rock star of geology". Smithsonian .
  11. ↑ "Great Yellowstone Thaw". PBS. Archived from the original on May 9, 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  12. ↑ "Polar Extremes". PBS. 5 February 2020. Archived from the original on 31 August 2023. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  13. ↑ Zuckerman, Esther (2 October 2020). "Netflix Doc 'Dick Johnson Is Dead' Is One of 2020's Must-See Films". Thrillist. Archived from the original on 31 August 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  14. ↑ "AAAS Honors Three Smithsonian Scientists as Lifetime Fellows". Smithsonian Institution. Archived from the original on 2023-08-31. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
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