Peter Ward is a paleontologist and astrobiologist who studies life on Earth—where it came from, how it ends, and what that means. His research is focused on the nature of the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event, which he explores at field sites in France and Spain. He also looks at speciation patterns and ecology of the living cephalopods. He is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America. In addition to his academic work, he is committed to public outreach, and has written a number of popular books for the a general audience. His 1992 book On Methuselah’s Trail received a “Golden Trilobite Award” from the Paleontological Society as the best popular science book of the year, and he won the Washington State Book Award for Gorgon. He has also featured in PBS’s Evolution series, NOVA’s scienceNOW and Animal Planet’s Animal Armageddon.