Alexander K. Hastings has been the Fitzpatrick Chair of Paleontology at the Science Museum of Minnesota since 2018. He received his BS from Penn State University (2005) and his PhD from the University of Florida (2012). Following this, he worked at Georgia Southern University (Statesboro, Georgia, USA), Martin Luther University (Halle, Germany), and the Virginia Museum of Natural History (Martinsville, Virginia, USA) before landing at his current institution. His primary interests are in fossil reptile evolution, particularly that of Crocodylomorpha. His dissertation was focused on dyrosaurid crocodyliform material from South America. He is a current member of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology.