Gabriel-Philip Santos


Educator, Paleontologist, Storyteller

About

My name is Gabriel-Philip Santos and I am a Filipino, first-generation scientist and educator from Los Angeles, California. My passions are education and storytelling. My goal is to make sure everyone has a chance for a bright future through education.Currently, I am the Director of Visitor Engagement and Education at the Alf Museum of Paleontology in Los Angeles, California. I received my B.Sc. in biology at University of California-Irvine and my M.Sc. in geology at California State University-Fullerton. My previous research interests focused on vertebrate fauna of Southern California and the paleobiology of marine mammals, particularly in the extinct hippo-like desmostylians.Now, my work focuses on combining my love of science with my passion for storytelling. I also work to make science education more accessible to all communities. In 2021, I was selected as a Grosvenor Teacher Fellow with National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions for my work as an educator.My current projects include the Cosplay for Science Initiative, where we combine science education, pop culture, and storytelling to make science more relatable to audiences. Most recently, I joined the amazing team of the popular YouTube digital series, PBS Eons, as a cohost to tell amazing stories of deep time!


See my TEDx talk about combining pop culture with science storytelling for education.


Career

Current Positions
- Cohost, PBS Eons (current)
- Director of Visitor Engagement & Education, Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology (current)
- Cofounder and Project Lead, Cosplay For Science Initiative
Current Projects
- Cosplay for Science Initiative
- ACCESS Paleo SoCal Internship Program
Certifications
- National Geographic Certified Educator (2019)
Awards and Recognitions
- John and Mary Lou Pojeta Award, Paleontological Society (2022)
- National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions Grosvenor Teacher Fellow (2021)
Publications
- Stoneburg, B., V. Perez, L. Lundgren, M. Ziegler, and G.-P. Santos. 2020. Cosplay for Science: Leveraging Pop Culture to Make Science More Accessible. Exhibition (Fall 2020) Vol. 39 No. 2. Link
- Santos, G.-P. Education and Outreach: Cosplay for Science Initiative and the Natural History Museum of Pokémon. Palaeontology Online, Vol. 8, Article 11. Link
- Magallanes, I., J. F. Parham, G.-P. Santos, and J. Velez-Juarbe. 2018. A tuskless walrus from the Miocene of Orange County, California with comments on the diversity and taxonomy of odobenids. PeerJ. Link
- Santos, G.-P. 2018. The geology and paleontology of a vertebrate bonebed from the Middle Eocene of southern California. Masters thesis.
- Barboza, M. M., J. F. Parham, G-P. Santos, B. N. Kussman, J. Velez-Juarbe. 2017. The age of the Oso Member, Capistrano Formation, and a review of fossil crocodylians from California. PaleoBios, 34. Link
- Santos, G.-P., J. F. Parham, and B. L. Beatty. 2016. New data on the ontogeny and senescence of Desmostylus (Desmostylia, Mammalia). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. Link
Funding Support
- The David B. Jones Foundation
- The Paleontological Society
- The National Geographic Society
- The Geological Society Geology and Society Division
Membership
- The Paleontological Society
- The Geological Society of America
- American Association for the Advancement of Science
- National Association of Geoscience Teachers
- National Science Teacher Association
Full CV available in the links below.

DESIGN

MEDIA

Articles
- Alf Museum's Director of Education Receives National Honor, Alf Museum
- 2021 Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship Annoucement, National Geographic Blog
- CSUF Alumni Feature, CSUF News.
- Science Says Blog: "Storyboarding Your Dissertation", UC Davis
- AAAS Member Spotlight: "Teaching Science Through Cosplay", AAAS
- Cosplay Friday: And Interview with Cosplay for Science, Temple of Geek
- Dinosaurs: Restoring Mongolia's Fossil Heritage, BBC News
- Meet a Scientist: Gabriel-Philip Santos, Time Scavengers
- Rare Fossil Offers a View to a Beast's Old Age, National Geographic Science
Digital Media
Select media available for viewing on YouTube
- Netflix's Ada Twist: Season 4, Episodes 20 & 21 - "Even More Scientists"
- T. rex Ranch episode, guest star
- Across the Cline: Episode 7 - Life Animates Art
- Star Warsologies Podcast: Comic Con 2022 - The Science of Jurassic World Panel
- NHPR's Outside/In - What Jurassic Park Got Wrong (and Right) About Dinosaurs
- r/AskScience 2022 SVP Paleontology AMA
- Community Expert Q&A Webinar with Alan Alda (Co-host)
- Ask Theory Podcast: Ano-anu ang matututunan natin sa mga fossils? (Tagalog)
- Nannotalks - "Teaching Paleontology: Desmostylus to Tauntauns"
- OutSCIder Classroom: Meet a Scientist
- OutSCIder Classroom: Learning the Fossil Record
- Fossil Friday Chats: What in the World is a Desmostylian?
- PaleoNerds Podcast: Comparative Science Fiction Anatomy
- PBS Eons - "Fossil Feud: Eons vs SciShow! Nation Fossil Day Livestream"
- Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants livestream
- Solve It! For Kids Podcast
- A People's Map of LA County: Gabriel Santos & Andrew Farke, The Paleontologists
- Geekoscopy Podcast: Dress Up for Science with Cosplay for Science
- Science. . . Sort Of Podcast: Suit Up For Science
- The Amoeba People Podcast - "Fossil Hunting"
- This Filipino American Life Podcast: Paleonotology
- Common Descent Podcast: Diversity in Paleontology
- Palaeocast Podcast - Ep. 111: Diversity in Palaeontology
- Straight From a Scientist: Importance of Science Communication
For inquiries, please email me at [email protected].