Kevin Padian

Kevin Padian
Born1951 (age 72–73)
EducationPh.D. 1980, Yale University
EmployerUniversity of California, Berkeley
TitleProfessor of Integrative Biology
Curator of Paleontology, University of California Museum of Paleontology;
past President, National Center for Science Education

Kevin Padian (born 1951) is an American paleontologist. He is Professor of Integrative Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, Curator of Paleontology, University of California Museum of Paleontology, and was President of the National Center for Science Education from 2007 to 2008.[1] Padian's area of interest is in vertebrate evolution, especially the origins of flight and the evolution of birds from theropod dinosaurs. He served as an expert witness for the plaintiffs in the Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District trial, and his testimony was repeatedly cited in the court's decision.[2]

Padian received a bachelor's degree in Natural Science and a Master of Arts degree in Teaching from Colgate University, and a Ph.D. from Yale University, where he focused on the evolution of flight in pterosaurs. He subsequently became interested in paleobiology, especially using paleohistology. He developed this research program in collaboration with Armand de Ricqlès and Jack Horner.[3][4][5][6] In addition to his work at Berkeley, Padian taught science in high school and was principal author of the California Science Framework K–12.[7] In 2003, he received Wonderfest's Carl Sagan Prize for Science Popularization.[8]

He has cowritten several papers with John R. Horner and Armand de Ricqlès based on histological analysis of fossil bones from the UCMP as well as the Museum of the Rockies.

Padian has authored over 100 scientific articles.[1]

In 2007, Padian was made a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.[9]

He supervised several doctoral students who developed distinguished careers of their own, including Jacques Gauthier.

  1. ^ a b "Our Staff". ncseweb.org. National Center for Science Education. Archived from the original on 2007-05-13. Retrieved 2018-10-31.
  2. ^ Decision, Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District et al.
  3. ^ Horner, John R.; Ricqlès, Armand de; Padian, Kevin (1999). "Variation in dinosaur skeletochronology indicators: implications for age assessment and physiology". Paleobiology. 25 (3): 295–304. Bibcode:1999Pbio...25..295H. doi:10.1017/S0094837300021308. ISSN 0094-8373. S2CID 88428612.
  4. ^ de RICQLÈS, ARMAND J.; PADIAN, KEVIN; HORNER, JOHN R.; FRANCILLON-VIEILLOT, HÉLÈNE (1 July 2000). "Palaeohistology of the bones of pterosaurs (Reptilia: Archosauria): anatomy, ontogeny, and biomechanical implications". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 129 (3): 349–385. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2000.tb00016.x. ISSN 0024-4082.
  5. ^ de Ricqlès, Armand; Padian, Kevin; Knoll, Fabien; Horner, John R. (1 April 2008). "On the origin of high growth rates in archosaurs and their ancient relatives: Complementary histological studies on Triassic archosauriforms and the problem of a "phylogenetic signal" in bone histology". Annales de Paléontologie. 94 (2): 57–76. Bibcode:2008AnPal..94...57D. doi:10.1016/j.annpal.2008.03.002. ISSN 0753-3969.
  6. ^ Buffrénil, Vivian de; Zylberberg, Louise; Ricqlès, Armand J. de; Padian, Kevin; Laurin, Michel; Quilhac, Alexandra (2021). Vertebrate Skeletal Histology and Paleohistology (1st ed.). Boca Raton, Fl: CRC Press. p. xii + 825. doi:10.1201/9781351189590. ISBN 978-1351189576. S2CID 236406115.
  7. ^ Expert Report from Kevin Padian, Paleontologist Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine ( submitted as part of Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District)
  8. ^ "Sagan Prize Recipients". wonderfest.org. 2011. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
  9. ^ AAAS - 2007 Fellows Archived 2008-01-12 at the Wayback Machine