Donald Ross Prothero

The 2025 Jean Baptiste Lamarck Medal is awarded to Donald Ross Prothero in recognition of a strong research profile in terrestrial stratigraphy, and unwavering support and education of the next generation.

Donald Ross Prothero is a prolific and highly influential author of books and scientific papers, in which he has made substantial research contributions to vertebrate palaeontology, stratigraphy and geochronology. He is also an exceptional educator and role model for younger scientists. His pioneering work on the use of radioisotopic dating and magnetostratigraphy has helped calibrate evolutionary lineages of terrestrial mammals, the most important tool for interpreting the non-marine Cenozoic sedimentary record of North America. Prothero is also well-known for his research contributions and early reviews of the Eocene-Oligocene transition, which marked the change from the global “greenhouse” world of the Cretaceous and early Cenozoic to the glaciated “ice house” world of today.

Prothero is currently an adjunct professor at California State Polytechnic Pomona and continues to be active in education and outreach at a number of other colleges. His undergraduate textbooks and publications for the general public underpin his dedication to science education and outreach. Herein he emphasizes the objective, rational evaluation of scientific data, and advocates using scientific knowledge to understand and manage modern challenges to society. Prothero has inspired numerous undergraduate students to pursue careers in science, not only by including them in fieldwork and other research activities, but also through actively fostering equality, diversity and inclusion within the research community.

For all of these reasons, Donald Ross Prothero is a worthy recipient of the 2025 Jean Baptiste Lamarck Medal.