Known for his wide-ranging contributions to paleontology, his energetic public outreach, and his collaborative work with Alaskan artist Ray Troll, Johnson is a dynamic force in bringing prehistoric life into the public imagination.
Before taking the helm of one of the world’s premier natural history institutions, Johnson was a prolific field paleontologist.
He earned his Ph.D. in geology and paleobotany from Yale University, but his fieldwork spans far beyond ivory towers and academic journals.
His scientific contributions include extensive work on fossil plants and the reconstruction of ancient climates and ecosystems. Much of his research focuses on the time just before and after the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction event, offering insight into how life recovered after the asteroid impact that ended the age of the dinosaurs.
One of Johnson’s most notable research projects took place at the Hell Creek Formation in North Dakota, a hotspot for Late Cretaceous fossils. Here, he and colleagues studied the extinction horizon in unprecedented detail. Johnson helped reconstruct the rich ecosystems of the time, painting a vivid picture of a world teeming with dinosaurs, turtles, crocodiles, and flowering plants—right up until it was abruptly ended 66 million years ago.
The Troll-Johnson Dream Team
Science can be serious business, but it doesn’t have to be dry—and few partnerships prove this better than the one between Kirk Johnson and Ray Troll. Troll is a wildly imaginative Alaskan artist known for his “scientifically accurate yet deeply weird” art.
Johnson and Troll first teamed up in the early 2000s, united by a shared love of fossils, fish, and the good old American road trip.
Together, they co-authored Cruisin’ the Fossil Freeway and its sequel Cruisin’ the Fossil Coastline, books that blend science, art, and humor in a joyful celebration of paleontology. These works chronicle their fossil-fueled road trips across North America, meeting eccentric collectors, legendary scientists, and discovering unexpected fossil treasures.
The books are peppered with Troll’s surreal illustrations and Johnson’s breezy-yet-accurate scientific commentary.
One of the standout aspects of their collaboration is how it brings out the human side of paleontology. You get the science, sure, but also the obsessive collectors who can spot a trilobite from 20 yards away, and the museums tucked behind gas stations with dinosaur bones in the backyard.
It’s a mix of deep time and roadside kitsch—a combination that’s both hilarious and oddly profound.
Humor in the Bone Pile
Despite his lofty position at the Smithsonian, Johnson hasn’t lost his sense of humor or sense of wonder. He’s been known to give lectures dressed in head-to-toe fossil-print suits and frequently drops fossil puns into conversations with a perfectly straight face.
In one memorable public event, while discussing the deep-time perspective of human evolution, he paused and said, “We’ve been around for such a short amount of time that if the history of Earth were a calendar, all of human history would happen in the last few seconds of December 31. So yes, geologically speaking, you just got here—and you’re already rearranging the furniture.”
His blend of scholarship and showmanship has made him a staple on PBS programs such as NOVA, Making North America, and Polar Extremes, where he leads viewers on immersive journeys through time, across continents, and into prehistoric oceans.
With the enthusiasm of a kid showing off their favorite rock, Johnson makes even the most complex paleoclimatic data feel like an adventure story.
Leading the Smithsonian into the Future
Since 2012, Johnson has served as the Sant Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, one of the most visited science museums in the world. Under his leadership, the museum has revitalized its fossil halls, culminating in the stunning new David H. Koch Hall of Fossils – Deep Time, which reopened in 2019.
This exhibit weaves 4.6 billion years of Earth’s history into a powerful narrative about evolution, extinction, and the role humans now play in shaping the planet’s future.
The exhibit doesn’t just show fossils—it tells stories. You’ll find dinosaur skeletons locked in combat, ancient mammal fossils displayed alongside their modern counterparts, and immersive displays that explain how everything from volcanoes to shifting continents has shaped life on Earth.
It’s this kind of storytelling, infused with Johnson’s signature humor and clarity, that helps make Deep Time feel like our time.
For a peek at the exhibits visit: https://www.si.edu/newsdesk/factsheets/david-h-koch-hall-fossils-deep-time
Whether he’s digging up a 55-million-year-old palm leaf in Wyoming, cruising for fossils with Ray Troll in a beat-up van, or explaining climate change to a packed theater with jokes and jawbones in equal measure, Dr. Kirk Johnson is a rare kind of scientist. He’s not just interested in what the past can teach us—he’s committed to making that knowledge engaging, memorable, and meaningful.
And, if you ever catch him at a fossil event, be sure to ask him about the “world’s oldest fish fart.” Odds are, he’ll have a story—and a Ray Troll illustration—to go with it.
Join in for Kirk Johnson's Keynote Lecture at the 15th BCPA Symposium
Kirk is the Keynote speaker at the 15th BCPA Symposium in Courtenay, August 22-25, 2025. For tickets, head to: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/15th-bc-paleontological-symposium-2025-keynote-speaker-kirk-johnson-tickets-1025014525037
Fancy some late night reading? Check out some of Johnson's publications:
Johnson, K. R. & Troll, R. (2007). Cruisin’ the Fossil Freeway: An Epoch Tale of a Scientist and an Artist on the Ultimate 5,000-Mile Paleo Road Trip. Fulcrum Publishing.
Johnson, K. R. & Troll, R. (2018). Cruisin’ the Fossil Coastline: The Travels of an Artist and a Scientist along the Shores of the Prehistoric Pacific. Fulcrum Publishing.
Smithsonian Institution: https://naturalhistory.si.edu
PBS NOVA, Making North America and Polar Extremes (Available on PBS.org)
