Lauren Sallan

Lauren Sallan is a ‘next generation’ paleobiologist who applies cutting-edge methods from data analytics, ecology, and even engineering to reveal how environmental challenges and the rise and fall of species shape biodiversity at scales outside human observation (macroevolution). Dr. Sallan recently became the head of the new Marine Macroevolution Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST). There, she is building an international team of disciplinary scientists from multiple fields to investigate the origins and evolution of marine ecosystems. Prior to joining OIST, Dr. Sallan was the Martin Meyerson Assistant Professor in Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Sallan received the Stensio Award for top early career paleoichthyologist in 2015, and the University of Chicago Biological Science Division Alumni Distinguished Service Award for Early Achievement in 2018. In 2019, Dr. Sallan received an NSF CAREER award and became a TED Senior Fellow. Her multiple TED Talks on the evolution of fishes, mass extinction and paleontology have received over 3 million views. Dr. Sallan’s research has been published in high-profile venues such as Science, Nature, PNAS, and Current Biology, and been featured by popular outlets such as The New York Times, the BBC, Forbes, the New Scientist, and the Discovery Channel.