Myria Perez

Myria started volunteering in the paleontology department at the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) at the age of twelve. There, she learned how to prepare fossils, communicate science to visitors, and excavate fossils in the field with her curator mentors David Temple and Robert Bakker.

Myria later attended Southern Methodist University (SMU) in University Park, Texas, earning her bachelor’s degrees in Geology and Anthropology. While a student there, she worked on vertebrates in the SMU fossil labs. She conducted research on ichthyosaur taphonomy (taphonomy is the study of how organisms are preserved in the fossil record after they die) with the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) as an intern with mentor Anna K. Behrensmeyer. She was also on the team that created the SMU-NMNH exhibit Sea Monsters Unearthed: Life in Angola's Ancient Seas with her mentor Louis Jacobs.

Myria is currently working as a fossil preparator unearthing Alaskan dinosaurs at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, Texas. Preparators use a variety to tools to remove the rock matrix from around fossils so that they can be examined by scientists and, sometimes, put on display in exhibits. Preparators also repair fossils, piecing together specimens that are broken. In addition to her work at the Perot Museum, Myria volunteers at the Whiteside Museum of Natural History in Seymour, Texas. She is inspiring the next generation of women in STEM as an AAAS IF/THEN Ambassador.

IF/THEN Interview

In this interview recorded by the IF/THEN project, Myria discusses how she became interested in paleontology and how she became a preparator.

Further reading

IF/THEN: Myria Perez, Paleontologist/Fossil Preparator. Link

Mantica, G. 2020. After battling imposter syndrome, a young Dallas scientist encourages more women to enter science. Dallas Morning News, 16 July 2020. Link

Olsson, J. and M. Perez. 2018. Ever wonder how exhibits are made? Here’s your answer. Smithsonian Magazine, 7 December 2018 [interview of Myria Perez by Juliana Olsson]. Link

Perez, M. no date. “I can see myself in stem” Ambassador Profile - Myria Perez. Ann Arbor Hands-on Museum. Link

Raggio, E. 2020. Paleontologist Myria Perez wants more women in science and for everyone to be safe. Dallas Observer, 15 May 2020. Link

Video & audio content

Buzzsprout. Women with cool jobs: Paleontologist puts dinosaur fossil puzzle pieces together, with Myria Perez. Audio, 16 June 2021. Link

IF/THEN Collection: Myria Perez, Fossil Preparator, Dallas, Texas. Video collection. Link

iHeart Radio. Plesiosaurs with Myria Perez. Audio, 13 April 2021. Link

Tumble: How to be a fossil fixer. Audio [podcast for kids]. Link