Dino Fest 2026

Dr. Regan Dunn
Assistant Deputy Director & Associate Curator at the Samuel Oschin Global Center for Ice Age Research, La Brea Tar Pits, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

Regan Dunn is the Assistant Deputy Director and Associate Curator at the Samuel Oschin Global Center for Ice Age Research, La Brea Tar Pits, NHMLAC. As a paleobotanist, Dr. Dunn’s research examines the connections between climate, plants, evolution, and extinction through time, focusing on periods of rapid change. Her team’s research has been featured in numerous outlets including Science, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, PBS, and NPR. Dunn received her PhD in Biology from the University of Washington and has conducted research at numerous globally important fossil sites across the United States and South America. She was hired as the Tar Pits’ first-ever paleobotanist in 2019.

Dr. Tyler Lyson
Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology
Denver Museum of Nature & Science

Dr. Tyler Lyson is Senior Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, where he is responsible for the fossil vertebrate collection. His research focuses on the timing and tempo of Earth’s last mass extinction event - the extinction of the dinosaurs - as well as how and when post-Cretaceous/Paleogene ecosystems recovered. He has active projects in the Denver Basin in Colorado, Williston Basin in North Dakota and Montana, Crazy Mountain Basin in Montana, the Wasatch Plateau in Utah, the Canadian Arctic, and the Altiplano Plateau in Peru and Bolivia.  

Lyson received his Ph.D. and M.A. in geology and paleontology from Yale University, and his B.A. from Swarthmore College. Lyson was a postdoctoral researcher at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History before joining the Denver Museum in 2014. Lyson has been a National Geographic Explorer since 2009. 

Surviving Earth

Eight epic eras. One thriving planet. From the producers of Walking with Dinosaurs, this awe-inspiring docuseries journeys across 450 million years to explore Earth's major extinction events and the creatures who fought to survive along the way.

Surviving Earth is brought to you by Universal Entertainment’s GreenerLight Program.

Luis M. Chiappe - Senior VP, Research & Collections and Gretchen Augustyn Director, Dinosaur Institute at NHMLA

Dr. Chiappe oversees the research programs of more than 25 PhD scientists and the vast collections of NHMLAC. A vertebrate paleontologist and the Gretchen Augustyn Director of the Dinosaur Institute, he has conducted extensive research on the evolution of dinosaurs, particularly on their evolutionary connection with birds. Dr. Chiappe’s research has been published in nearly 200 scholarly articles, he’s also the author of Walking on Eggs, Glorified Dinosaurs, and Birds of Stone. He is a J. S. Guggenheim Fellow, a Humboldt Awardee, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and an Adjunct Professor at USC.

Dr. Nathan Smith - Curator of the Dinosaur Institute at NHMLA

Dr. Nathan Smith supervises the Dinosaur Institute staff and conducts research in support of NHM programs. He holds a B.A. from Augustana College, M.S. from the University of Iowa, and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. Nate was a professor at Howard University before joining NHM in 2015. Fieldwork has taken Nate to Antarctica, Argentina, China, and the western USA. His research is funded by the National Science Foundation, and focuses on the evolution of Triassic–Jurassic dinosaurs and the application of comparative methods to broad questions in paleontology. Nate's Antarctic field program is featured in the 3-D IMAX® movie, Dinosaurs of Antarctica.

Living Collections
Did you know the museum has a team of professional animal keepers on site 365 days a year? They take excellent care of all animals on exhibit and behind the scenes at the museum, utilizing the natural history expertise of our scientists as well as our veterinarian, who advises on any medical and nutritional needs. Because even a frog needs a doctor sometimes. We have around 15-25 species of vertebrates, and 70-100 species of invertebrates at any given time.  
Follow Living Collections on Instagram @nhmla_liveanimals

Museum Educators

The Museum Educator team at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County are the knowledgeable staff that enhance the visitor experience through personal interaction. Through research and training, Museum Educators create and facilitate educational programs for general museum visitors, for school groups, and for special events, both in-person and virtual.

Performing Arts

The team behind the Performing Arts department at the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County creates live theatrical performances based on our exhibits, research, collections, and events.

Research and Collections
The Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County protect and share more than 35 million specimens and artifacts, the largest natural and cultural history collection in the western United States. The Research and Collections Department is the research institution within the museums. They create new knowledge through academic scholarship in history and science. Visitors can get up close to these fascinating objects and specimens, which are sometimes displayed in exhibitions and during museum events.