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.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 study diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in science education and STEM as a museum educator, Grosvenor Teacher Fellow, and cofounder of the Cosplay for Science Initiative.

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

Career

Recent Positions
- Director of Visitor Engagement & Education, Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology (current)
- Outreach and Education Committee Coordinator, The Paleontological Society (current)
- Collections Manager & Outreach Coordinator, Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology (2015–2022)Current Projects
- Cosplay for Science Initiative
- Fossil Friday Chats Livestream
- ACCESS Paleo SoCal Internship for historically excluded groups in paleontology and museum science.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. LinkFunding Support
- The David B. Jones Foundation
- The Paleontological Society
- The National Geographic Society
- The Geological Society Geology and Society DivisionMembership
- The Paleontological Society
- The Geological Society of America
- American Association for the Advancement of Science
- National Association of Geoscience Teachers
- National Science Teacher Association