Matt Wedel, Ph.D.

Matt Wedel, Ph.D.

Matt Wedel is a vertebrate paleontologist, and his main areas of interest are sauropod dinosaurs and the evolution of pneumatic (air-filled) bones in dinosaurs and birds. He also works on the evolution of heads and necks in vertebrates and the nervous systems of very large animals. He is currently an Associate Professor at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California, where he teaches gross anatomy.

To date, Matt has coauthored papers naming three new dinosaurs: the sauropods Sauroposeidon (2000), Brontomerus (2011), and the horned dinosaur Aquilops (2014). In 2016 his book “The Sauropod Dinosaurs: Life in the Age of Giants,” with artist and lead author Mark Hallett, was published by Johns Hopkins University Press.

In his spare time, Matt enjoys stargazing, and he writes the monthly Binocular Highlights column and the occasional feature article for Sky & Telescope magazine.