Our Staff

John has assisted the Vertebrate Paleontology department with field, lab, and collections work since 2015.

As a Curator in the Dinosaur Institute, Dr. Nathan Smith supervises the Dinosaur Institute staff and conducts paleontological research in support of the Institute's programs.

As Collections Manager, Mr. Takeuchi co-manages all of the fossils at Rancho La Brea.

Sam works with scientists and community members through our Community Science office.

As a Preparator at Project 23, Ms. Tewksbury is responsible for excavating fossils, training volunteers and students and sharing her expertise with the public.

Curator Emerita Dr. Christine Thacker joined the Natural History Museum in 1998 after receiving her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. Dr. Thacker’s research concerns the evolution, systematics, and biogeography of gobies and cardinalfishes.

Karl Urhausen has a background in painting, sculpture and antiquities conservation, with an emphasis on the preservation of leather and wood. 


Betty Uyeda holds a B.A. in History from California State University, Los Angeles and an M.L.S. from San Jose State University. She is on staff with the History Department's Seaver Center. 

Jorge is a paleontologist and mammalogist who studies the evolution and diversification of marine mammals. As Curator of Marine Mammals, he works with NHM's mammalogy and vertebrate paleontology collections.

Jann Vendetti is NHM’s Twila Bratcher Chair in Malacological Research, and a founding member of the Urban Nature Research Center.