Riley Black

Winner of the 2023 AAAS/Subaru Prize for Excellence in Science Books

Recipient of a 2024 Friend of Darwin award from the National Center for Science Education

Riley Black (she/they) has been a fossil fanatic since the time she was knee-high to a Stegosaurus. Her evolution into a science writer and amateur paleontologist was only natural. From remote deserts to endless museum collections, Riley’s been chasing tales of ancient life for her whole life.

A prolific writer, Riley’s byline has appeared in publications such as National Geographic, Slate, Smithsonian, Nature, Science, atmos, Popular Science, New Scientist, SIERRA, and many more. She’s also been a frequent guest on radio programs such as Science Friday and All Things Considered, and Riley was among the paleontologists highlighted in the NOVA documentaries “Alaskan Dinosaurs” and “Dinosaur Apocalypse.” In a dream come true, Riley was also the “resident paleontologist” and consultant to the Jurassic World franchise. Her expertise has also led Riley to speak at a variety of venues from the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History to Dinosaur National Monument, most prominently delivering the 2022 keynote at the annual Society of Vertebrate Paleontology meeting. In 2024, Riley won the Friend of Darwin Award from the National Center For Science Education for her outstanding science outreach.

But Riley loves writing books most of all. Starting with Written in Stone in 2010, they’ve written more than 10 books for fossil fans of all ages. Her landmark, critically-acclaimed The Last Days of the Dinosaurs won the 2023 AAAS/Subaru Prize for Excellence in Science Books, was mentioned on JEOPARDY!, and hit the USA Today bestseller, followed by the also-bestselling When the Earth Was Green and The Shortest History of the Dinosaurs. Riley’s latest book, Tyrant Lizard Queen, will stomp into bookshops on October 27th, 2026, and Riley’s already signed on with St. Martin’s for yet another deep dive into prehistory with the megalodon-focused Megatooth (due winter 2028).

But Riley does more than just write about fossils. She frequently volunteers with an array of museums and universities to discover and excavate new specimens. These expeditions have taken her from the mountains of Alaska and the arid deserts of New Mexico to a Wyoming cave filled with Ice Age mammal bones. These visits to lost worlds fuel Riley's writing and her enthusiasm for life's amazing history.