Mary L. Droser

Droser says that spending summers with her family on Shelter Island, New York first inspired her interest in the natural world. She says, “At age 5 I announced I wanted to be a marine biologist, then by age 10 I’d decided to become a geologist.”[2] She pursued geology at the University of Rochester and Binghamton University and went on to obtain a Ph.D. in paleontology at the University of Southern California.[2][3]

In 2008, Droser's discovery of the fossil Funisia dorothea was published in the journal Science.[4] Funisia is a single-species genus of upright worm-like animals that lived 555 million years ago.[5] Droser discovered the species in Australia.[4] Funisia was hailed as the first known species to sexually reproduce.[2] She named the species to honor her mother, Dorothy Droser, saying "She’s come with me on digs and done all the cooking and taken care of the kids. It seemed the right thing to do."[6][4]

Droser also named the fossil Obamus, this time after President Barack Obama.[7] In 2018, while exploring the Flinders Ranges, north of Adelaide, Droser's team found the 550 million year old fossil. Droser explained that the creature resembled an ear, a distinctive feature of Obama, and so named it for the former president. On the same trip, the team also discovered the fossil Attenborites janeae, which Droser named for naturalist Sir David Attenborough.[7]

• 1997, The Charles Schuchert Award given by the Paleontological Society to a person under 40 whose work reflects excellence and promise in the science of paleontology.[8]
• 2020, Doctoral Dissertation Advisor/Mentor Award from University of California, Riverside.[9]
• 2022, NAS Award in Early Earth and Life Sciences - Charles Doolittle Walcott Medal.[10]