Jack Conrad was born on December 20, 1976 in Springfield, Missouri. The only child grew up in a very rural area and could barely see one house from his front yard. But his pets and the wildlife around him kept him busy.

He loved frog giggin' (hunting frogs with a spiked spear), swimming, and hiking. He would often take dissecting tools and biology books with him fishing. Jack worked a little on farms growing up, until he moved away to college.

He just finished his first year as a PhD student at the University of Chicago and this will be his first long expedition with Dr. Sereno.

Jack is looking forward to everything about this expedition. He believes "life is a gift and you can make of it what you will. I have always loved learning about dinosaurs and paleontology and I have an adventurous spirit. This promises to be the most fulfilling (even if most challenging) experience of my life."