Photo: Caleb Long, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons¹⁵

Neil H. Shubin

American scientist (born 1960)

Neil Shubin (born December 22, 1960) is an American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist and popular science writer. He is the Robert R. Bensley Professor of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, Associate Dean of Organismal Biology and Anatomy and Professor on the Committee of Evolutionary Biology at the University of Chicago along with being the Provost of the Field Museum of Natural History.²

From Wikipedia’s article on Neil H. Shubin (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born Dec 22, 1960.¹

About

He is best known for his co-discovery of Tiktaalik roseae with Ted Daeschler and Farish Jenkins.

On February 4, 2026, it was announced that Shubin has been elected to be the next president of the National Academy of Sciences with his term beginning July 1, 2026.

From Wikipedia’s article on Neil H. Shubin, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.²

Companies

National Academy of SciencesChair 2026 to now¹⁴

Early life and education

1982Columbia University Bachelor of Arts³
1987Harvard University doctorate³
Date not recordedLower Merion High School³
Date not recordedUniversity of California, Berkeley³
Date not recordedColgate University³

Career

Occupation: university teacher, writer, paleontologist, anatomist.⁷

Since 2026Chair, National Academy of Sciences⁶
Date not recordedWorked at University of Chicago^{4 5}

Personal life

BornDec 22, 1960, Philadelphia⁸
CitizenshipUnited States⁹

Awards

2008Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science^{10 12}
Date not recordedFellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences^{10 11}
Date not recordedGuggenheim Fellowship¹⁰

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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WikidataNeil H. Shubin on Wikidata
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WikipediaNeil H. Shubin on Wikipedia
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WikidataNeil H. Shubin: education, on Wikidata
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WikidataNeil H. Shubin: Worked at University of Chicago, on Wikidata
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WikidataWorked at University of Chicago, as reported
6
WikidataNeil H. Shubin: Chair, National Academy of Sciences, on Wikidata
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WikidataNeil H. Shubin: occupation, on Wikidata
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WikidataNeil H. Shubin: place of birth, on Wikidata
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WikidataNeil H. Shubin: citizenship, on Wikidata
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WikidataNeil H. Shubin: award, on Wikidata
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Wikidataaward, as reported
12
Wikidataaward, as reported
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WikidataNeil H. Shubin: Official website, on Wikidata
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WikidataNational Academy of Sciences, Chair
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Wikimedia CommonsNeil H. Shubin photo by Caleb Long, CC BY-SA 2.5