Curators

Angela Hornsby, Ph.D.

Angela served as UMZM curator from 2019-2023, overseeing the second phase of renovations and expanding opportunities for students in the museum through curatorial assistantships, volunteer positions (especially in the prep lab "Carcass Club"), and the Graslie Curiousity Internship program. Angela is currently the Zoological Collections Manager at the University of Minnesota Bell Museum.

Elizabeth Beckman, Ph.D.

Libby was UMZM curator from 2016-2018, overseeing the first phase of the museum's major renovation in the late 2010s. In addition to directing all the day-to-day museum functions, Libby also coordinated the installation of the research collections in the new archival space, and uploaded our specimen catalog to an online database system accessible worldwide.  Libby is currently the Staff Curator in Ornithology at the UC Berkeley Museum of Vertebrate Zoology.

Paul Hendricks, Ph.D.

Paul served as interim curator of the UMZM between 2013-2016, after working as a zoologist with the Montana Natural Heritage Program for 18 years. He has wide-ranging experience and expertise particularly in birds, with projects drawing him to field work across North America. Paul has coauthored two useful guides to Montanan fauna: Amphibians and Reptiles of Montana and Birds of Montana.

David Dyer, M.S.

Dave was curator of the UMZM from 1993 through 2013, welcoming and training dozens (and dozens!) of students in specimen preparation, natural history curation, osteology, zooarchaeology, and exhibit preparation. His fingerprints are all over the UMZM, as he developed many of the specimen tracking and labeling standards that are still in use today. Dave made a career through decades of work in natural history museums, including the University of Nebraska State Museum, Cincinnati Museum of Natural History, and the Natural History Department of the Ohio Historical Society.

Philip L. Wright, Ph.D.

Phil began as curator of the UMZM when he was hired by the University of Montana in 1939. A beloved educator to thousands of students over his career, Phil taught mammalogy for 46 years and ornithology for 38 years. He headed the Wildlife Technology curriculum (now the renowned Wildlife Biology Program), served as Chair of the Zoology Department, and was active and well regarded in numerous regional and national scientific societies. Best known for his work on reproductive biology of mustelids, Phil was also an avid scientific collector—the vast majority of the current UMZM specimens were collected by him or under his direction, building a wealth of information on Montanan and global biodiversity that will continue to support research for generations to come. For his lifetime of work and dedication to the museum, it was named in his honor in 1997.

Curatorial Assistants

Jonathan Hardes, M.S.

Robert Niese, Ph.D.

Emily Graslie, M.S.

Nathanael Herrera, Ph.D.

Marissa Italiano, B.S.

Samantha Getty, B.S.

Graslie Curiosity Interns

Nicole Phillips, Spring 2020

Justin Ruby, Spring 2020

Sky Gennette, Spring 2021

Oren Jaffe, Spring 2022

Kyle Wonders, Spring 2022

Ivy Carvo, Spring 2023

Luke Johnson, Spring 2023

Nicole Emlen, Spring 2024

Sierra Fleischmann, Spring 2024

Volunteers

Charles Miller

Charles was a top volunteer bird preparator at the UMZM for many years, after retiring from a career in the medical field. He was also a teaching naturalist at the Montana Natural History Center, connecting thousands of young people with the wonders of the natural world.