Scott D. Sampson

Scott Donald Sampson is a Canadian-American paleontologist and science communicator. Sampson was the Executive Director of California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, California from September 2019 to May 2026. He was previously Vice President of Research & Collections and Chief Curator at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. Sampson is notable for his work on the carnivorous theropod dinosaurs Majungasaurus and Masiakasaurus and his extensive research into the Late Cretaceous Period, particularly in Madagascar. He is also known as the host of the “Dinosaur Discoveries” segments on the PBS Kids show Dinosaur Train.