Scott Johnston is a vertebrate paleontologist who specializes in fossil preparation, conservation, field work, 3D imaging, and science communication. He began his paleontology career when he was 13, volunteering in the University of Michigan’s Vertebrate Fossil Preparation Lab under the mentorship of Chief Vertebrate Preparator Dr. William Sanders. He continued volunteering though high school and attended the University of Michigan, where he received a BS in Earth and Environmental Science. During his time at Michigan, he prepped and studied early whales, proboscideans, dinosaurs and archosaurs. After his graduation, he was hired as a Vertebrate Fossil Preparator at the American Museum of Natural History, where he worked with Curator Dr. John Flynn on Chilean notoungulates and Wyoming Eocene mammals. In his role as the Vertebrate Paleontology Technician and Preparator at the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology, Scott operates and manages the Paleontology Preparation Lab, oversees training and use of CT facilities for VP department affiliates, and plays a major role in planning and executing field expeditions. He works closely with both Curator Dr. Stephanie Pierce and Curatorial Associate Christina Byrd to make fossils available for research, preserve and maintain Harvard’s historic fossil collection, train and mentor future generations of scientists, and share his passion for paleontology with audiences of all levels.