David Bottjer

David Bottjer, professor of Earth sciences, biological sciences and environmental studies, received the 2025 Richard Owen Alumni Award from the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Indiana University Bloomington, which recognizes distinguished alumni who have made significant contributions to the geological sciences. As part of the award, he delivered a lecture titled “Extinction: Past, Present and Future,” in which he examined the patterns of ancient mass extinctions to shed light on today’s ongoing sixth extinction and its varying impacts across ecosystems.