MSU Paleontologist Jack Horner Announces Retirement

Jack Horner, renowned Montana State University professor and one of the world’s leading experts in paleontology, has decided to retire after 33 years.

Jack Horner, Montana University System Regents Professor of Paleontology and Curator of Paleontology at Museum of the Rockies, announced his retirement, which will be effective June 30, 2016, according to MSU News Service.

Horner is widely recognized as one of the world’s foremost paleontologists and was a leader in the now-common theory that dinosaurs were warm-blooded social creatures more like birds than cold-blooded animals like lizards. He is also well-known for serving as a scientific consultant to the popular Jurassic Park movies directed by Steven Spielberg. Horner's pioneering resume speaks for itself, dating back to the 1970s, when Horner discovered the first dinosaur eggs in the Western Hemisphere, leading to the understanding of dinosaur parenting.

More recently, Horner was recognized as one of the world’s top 24 scientists by Newton Graphic Science Magazine along with top researchers in science and medicine, including Nobel Prize-winning physicist Albert Fert.

Although he is retiring from Montana State University, it doesn't exactly sound like he will be relaxing anytime soon. Horner said:

I can assure you that I'll not be slowing down anytime soon. I'll be pursuing a number of projects, including helping another museum amass a large dinosaur collection, and finishing a couple more books. I also have a very exciting project that I'm not yet ready to announce.

Museum of the Rockies said a national search for Horner’s replacement will be launched in late summer or early fall of 2016, after a strategic planning for the museum’s paleontology department.