I am a historian and philosopher of science interested in a bunch of topics at the intersection of the earth and life sciences. Some of the things that excite me are: problematic fossils, obsolete tectonic theories, Stephen Jay Gould, nineteenth century America geology, "uniformitarianism," and studies of early animal evolution. Dislikes include smugness, the word "curated," and AI (a pathologically over-hyped technology whose meaningful consequences are nearly all bad.)

My most important project at the moment is parenting two little kids. I'm also writing a book, which is a history of controversy about the Cambrian Period— think the "Cambrian explosion" and all that. This summer I will be starting a postdoc position at the University of Copenhagen. In my spare time, I maintain Extinct: The Philosophy of Palaeontology Blog, where I write the "Problematica" essay series.

Pictured: yours truly, reclining at the Mount Stephen trilobite beds in British Columbia (with friend Janella Baxter also in frame)