Rate My Professor Jack Horner

Jack Horner served as a lecturer and Presidential Fellow at Chapman University from 2016 until early 2026. During his time at the university, he taught honors courses including Darwin's Evolutionary Theory: the Science and the Controversy and Dinosaurs: In Science and Media, and he founded the university's Dinosaur Lab. Prior to his appointment at Chapman University, Horner held the position of Regents Professor of Paleontology at Montana State University and served as curator of paleontology at the Museum of the Rockies from 1982 until his retirement from those roles in 2016. He also worked at Princeton University from 1975 to 1982 and held a research associate position at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. Horner attended the University of Montana but did not complete a formal degree; the University of Montana awarded him an honorary Doctorate of Science in 1986, the same year he received a MacArthur Fellowship. He has also received honorary doctorates from other institutions including Pennsylvania State University. His research specializations include dinosaur growth, behavior, and paleontology, with notable contributions such as the discovery of evidence for parental care in the dinosaur Maiasaura. Horner has authored or co-authored over 100 professional papers and twelve books. He received the Romer-Simpson Medal in 2013 and other honors including the Golden Plate Award in 1993. He served as a technical advisor for the first five Jurassic Park films. His employment at Chapman University ended in early 2026.