David C Sepkoski

David C Sepkoski is the Thomas M. Siebel Chair in History of Science at the University of Illinois, holding dual affiliations with the History department and the School of Information Sciences. His research focuses on transnational histories of biological and environmental sciences, emphasizing cultural and technological contexts. He earned his PhD from the University of Minnesota, alongside MA (University of Chicago) and BA (Carleton College) degrees.

His research interests include scientific debates on human nature, history of data/information systems, and electronic music's cultural history. Key publications include Catastrophic Thinking (2020) and Rereading the Fossil Record (2012). Recent work explores biological determinism from sociobiology to genomic studies, supported by a 2020 Guggenheim Fellowship.

He has received the 2021 HRI Humanities Prize (Honorable Mention) and contributed to interdisciplinary projects like the Handbook of the Historiography of Earth Sciences. His work bridges historical scholarship with contemporary issues in biodiversity and climate change.