Lindsay E Zanno PhD
Dr. Lindsay Zanno is a vertebrate paleontologist and evolutionary biologist with a passion for exploration and demystifying science. She is the visionary behind the Dueling Dinosaurs experience at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.
​​​Lindsay Zanno's research focuses on discovering non-avian dinosaurs—Earth's dominant terrestrial life during the Mesozoic Era—and their stories writ in deep time. Her lab uses frontier approaches to tackle complex evolutionary and ecological questions, including the drivers of key innovations, life-history strategies, trophic ecology, and the connections between biodiversity and climate dynamics. ​
To date, she has been awarded more than $20 million in collaborative funding for research and engagement.
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​Zanno has authored more than 100 scientific manuscripts, 200 abstracts, two popular books, and more than 20 other popular publications. Her research receives regular accolades, being named one of the Top 10 Dinosaur Discoveries by Smithsonian Magazine, included in Discover Magazine’s Year in Science Top Research, Top Dinosaur Discoveries, and Top 100 Science Stories, and highlighted in Nature World News’ Top Dinosaur Stories. Recently, she received the Eighteenth International Award in Palaeontological Research (Paleonturology 20), as well as two top 100 author recognitions and an editor’s favorite honor from Nature Publishing Group, one of the world's leading multidisciplinary science publishers.
Exploration is at the heart of Zanno’s research. Each year, she and her teams embark on remote expeditions around the globe in search of new species. Thus far, she and her collaborators have named more than fifteen, including the bird-like theropods Talos sampsoni and Hagryphus giganteus, scythe-clawed therizinosaur Nothronychus graffami, mysterious megapredator Siats meekerorum, North America's tiniest tyrannosaur Moros intrepidus, and Nanotyrannus lethaeus, one of Earth’s last surviving tyrannosaurs. Her discoveries have been featured in more than a dozen documentaries produced by notables such as the Science Channel, History Channel, National Geographic, PBS, NHK, Nova, and the BBC.
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Recognizing the need for greater trust between science and society, Zanno and her team are committed to fostering transparency, engendering inclusivity, and breaking down barriers in science through various communication and public engagement efforts. In 2012, she founded the outreach platform Expedition Live!, becoming one of the first science labs to connect the public with paleontologists in the field via remote live stream events and social media. Since then, she has served as Science Advocate for the international hit Walking With Dinosaurs Arena Spectacular, hosted The Ice Age traveling exhibition, and appeared on CBS Sunday Morning, the Today Show, Saturday Disney, in addition to making nine appearances on National Public Radio (NPR). Zanno’s research has been covered in over 2,000 media stories, and she is frequently consulted for expert commentary on leading research in paleontology. Currently, she shares the excitement of paleontology as a speaker for National Geographic Live! For her engagement efforts, she has received the Alumni Outstanding Engagement Scholarship and Outstanding Engagement awards from NC State, and was inducted into NC State’s Academy of Outstanding Faculty in Extension and Engagement.
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Zanno is also the visionary behind the world's only open-access paleontology lab—SECU DinoLab and Dueling Dinosaurs experience—at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, for which she received the 2024 Thad Eure, Jr. Memorial Award from the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau. This unique public engagement initiative comprises interactive exhibits, a live-streamed research lab open to visitors, and the public science project Cretaceous Creatures, a microvertebrate fossil discovery program for middle school students. The Dueling Dinosaurs experience, which opened in 2024, has already received multiple awards and nominations, including the SEGD Global Design Awards, Interpretive Media Award from the National Association of Interpretation, and the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology’s inaugural Excellence in Education and Outreach Award.​​​​​​​​
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Zanno is also passionate about mentoring the next generation of scientists. In 2020, she was honored with the Outstanding Graduate Faculty Mentor Award from North Carolina State University, where she founded and currently co-directs the Paleosciences Peer Mentoring Program. This program provides structured, early career support to break down intimidation barriers for students.
Based in North Carolina, Zanno holds a joint appointment as an Associate Research Professor in the College of Sciences at North Carolina State University and as Head of Paleontology at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. For her academic achievements, she has received honorary appointments at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, Natural History Museum of Utah, Sam Noble Museum in Oklahoma, Stellenbosch University, and the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa. For the past eight years, she has also served as President of The Jurassic Foundation—a public, nonprofit grant-making organization that supports dinosaur research worldwide. The Jurassic Foundation has awarded approximately $1 million in grants to young researchers, helping to launch their careers.