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 academic publishing companies. (Oh, and AI, a pathetically 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 paleontological controversies about the Cambrian Period— think the "Cambrian explosion" and all that. 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)