Dr. Sebastian Alejandro Echeverri, PhD (they/them) is your friendly neighborhood spider scientist, wildlife photographer, and science communicator. They joined Xerces in 2024 as a communications specialist for science and digital media, and are excited to continue making bugs (and bug conservation!) more accessible, inclusive, and joyful for everyone.
Sebastian completed their PhD in 2020, studying why and how paradise jumping spiders get their audience's attention when pulling off their fanciest dance moves. Since then, they have wrangled spiders for documentaries and live events, developed a Zoology series for the YouTube channel “Crash Course”, co-hosted the new BBC Earth Podcast, and written a spider field guide.
Born in Colombia, Sebastian grew up in New York City, and currently lives in New Jersey with their partner, their rescue greyhound Flora, and a collection of pet arachnids. They went most of their life unaware that they are autistic and have ADHD, but now finally (kind of) understand how their brain works. When not talking about wonderfully weird animals, they enjoy reading sci-fi stories, watching anime, and playing video & board games.
