Scott D. Sampson
Dinosaur paleontologist and science communicator
Scott D. Sampson is a dinosaur paleontologist and science communicator who encourages people to connect with nature. He wrote How to Raise a Wild Child.
1 summary 18 min of listening
Canadian Born 1961 in Vancouver, Canada
About Scott D. Sampson
Scott D. Sampson is a Canadian-American paleontologist known to many young viewers as "Dr. Scott" on the PBS KIDS series Dinosaur Train. He hosts its "Dinosaur Discoveries" segments and has also been its science advisor. His research has looked at how dinosaurs lived and evolved. He is noted for work on the theropod dinosaurs Majungasaurus and Masiakasaurus, and for studying the Late Cretaceous Period, especially in Madagascar. He has done fieldwork in several countries, including Kenya, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Mexico, the United States and Canada. Sampson was executive director of the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco from 2019 to 2026. Earlier, he served as chief curator at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, where he was also a vice president. He has also been a program ambassador for Nature Rocks, an initiative of The Nature Conservancy that encourages families to explore nature. His books include Dinosaur Odyssey and How to Raise a Wild Child, the latter published in 2015.