Ryan Bebej

Ryan Bebej is a professor in the Department of Biology at Calvin College. He earned his Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology with a focus in paleontology from the University of Michigan. His research focuses on the evolution of aquatic mammals, including cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) and pinnipeds (seals and sea lions). He is especially interested in the earliest stages of these large-scale evolutionary transitions and the anatomical changes that facilitate changes in swimming mode. He has excavated skeletons of fossil whales at Wadi Al-Hitan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Egypt’s western desert, and he routinely spends time working in collections at world-renowned museums (including the National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC). Ryan is also deeply interested in the relationship between science and Christian faith. When he isn’t working, he loves spending time with his wife, two sons, and dog.