Nicholas Pyenson is the curator of fossil marine mammals at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., which is part of the Smithsonian Institution. His scientific discoveries have been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, National Geographic, Los Angeles Times, The Economist, Popular Mechanics, USA Today, and on NPR, NBC, CBC, and the BBC. He has also won a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers from the Obama White House, in addition to the Smithsonian's highest scientific prizes. In Maryland, he lives with his family.