Changemaker Speaker Series: Dr. Paul Sereno – Astonishing Dinosaurs
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They call him the “Indiana Jones of Paleontology” and he’s earned every bit of it.
Dr. Paul Sereno leads The Fossil Lab at the University of Chicago and has spent decades chasing lost worlds across the globe, from the Andes to the plains of Asia to the deepest reaches of the African continent. Born and raised in Naperville, Illinois, Sereno studied art and biology at Northern Illinois University before earning his doctorate at Columbia University, where he cut his teeth researching dinosaur fossils across Asia. Since joining the University of Chicago in 1987, his fieldwork has taken him to some of the most remote and punishing landscapes on Earth.
His latest expedition may be his most staggering yet. Featured in the August 2025 issue of National Geographic, Sereno’s team uncovered 55 tons of fossils buried beneath the Sahara including a Spinosaurus skull, previously unknown sauropod species, and massive crocodile-like predators. Together, these discoveries reveal an ancient ecosystem of almost unimaginable scale, a lost world teeming with giants.
In Astonishing Dinosaurs, Sereno brings the full force of that adventure to the stage. Part science, part expedition thriller, this show drops you into the heat and sand of one of history’s boldest fossil hunts. If you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to pull a 100-million-year-old skull from the earth, this is your night.
𝐀𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟒-𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐚𝐠𝐞. 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫.
Dr. Paul Sereno leads The Fossil Lab at the University of Chicago and has spent decades chasing lost worlds across the globe, from the Andes to the plains of Asia to the deepest reaches of the African continent. Born and raised in Naperville, Illinois, Sereno studied art and biology at Northern Illinois University before earning his doctorate at Columbia University, where he cut his teeth researching dinosaur fossils across Asia. Since joining the University of Chicago in 1987, his fieldwork has taken him to some of the most remote and punishing landscapes on Earth.
His latest expedition may be his most staggering yet. Featured in the August 2025 issue of National Geographic, Sereno’s team uncovered 55 tons of fossils buried beneath the Sahara including a Spinosaurus skull, previously unknown sauropod species, and massive crocodile-like predators. Together, these discoveries reveal an ancient ecosystem of almost unimaginable scale, a lost world teeming with giants.
In Astonishing Dinosaurs, Sereno brings the full force of that adventure to the stage. Part science, part expedition thriller, this show drops you into the heat and sand of one of history’s boldest fossil hunts. If you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to pull a 100-million-year-old skull from the earth, this is your night.
𝐀𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟒-𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐚𝐠𝐞. 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫.
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