Clive Coy

Clive Coy, Chief Technician, Laboratory for Vertebrate Paleontology

"Clive Coy is the University of Alberta's own Indiana Jones-an intrepid fossil hunter in the Alberta badlands, a master excavator, and a charismatic promoter of the University of Alberta Museums' vertebrate paleontology collection." - Scott Persons, PhD Candidate, Biological Sciences

Clive has served as Chief Technician for the Laboratory for Vertebrate Paleontology since 2008. From the first shovel in the ground to the last digit on the catalogue spreadsheet, he has overseen the excavation, preparation, and cataloguing of virtually every new dinosaur specimen added to the collection under his tenure.

He has had an amazing period of several years where he has found and prepared highly significant specimens for scientific, educational, and exhibition use. Not only does his own fieldwork constitute a lasting contribution to the collection, but Clive also serves an equally valuable role as an educator, mentoring many volunteers and students and passing down his decades of fossil hunting experience. Clive plays a vital role in the annual field school at the Danek bonebed and field expeditions to the Alberta badlands.

When he's not in the field, Clive can be found in the lab overseeing a small army of volunteer preparators all while continuing the excavation process through the delicate and painstaking task of cleaning and chipping away the incrusting matrix surrounding the fossil specimens collected by various expeditions. This work is essential to the scientific and exhibition value of the specimens.

Clive's long experience as a preparator and museum professional has been instrumental in the growth and development of the University of Alberta's internationally-renowned vertebrate paleontology program. He is an outstanding ambassador for the collection, contributing to scientific papers, acting as an occasional media spokesperson, and enthusiastically delivering community outreach programs. He is the backbone of the U of A's Laboratory for Vertebrate Paleontology.

Adapted from nomination and support letters by Philip Currie, Curator (Dinosaurs), Laboratory for Vertebrate Paleontology, Eva Koppelhus, Research Associate (Department of Biological Sciences, Scott Persons, PhD Candidate, and Howard Gibbins, Volunteer (Laboratory for Vertebrate Paleontology).