Dr. Sebastian Alejandro Echeverri, PhD (he/him) is your friendly neighborhood spider scientist, wildlife photographer, and science communicator. He joined Xerces in 2024 as a communications specialist for science and digital media, and is excited to continue making bugs (and bug conservation!) more accessible, inclusive, and joyful for everyone.

Sebastian completed his PhD in 2020, studying why and how paradise jumping spiders get their audience's attention when pulling off their fanciest dance moves. Since then, he has 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 his partner, their rescue greyhound Flora, and a collection of pet arachnids. He went most of his life unaware that he is autistic and has ADHD, but now finally (kind of) understands how his brain works. When not talking about wonderfully weird animals, he enjoys reading sci-fi stories, watching anime, and playing video & board games.