He served as an expert witness for the plaintiffs in the Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District trial, and his testimony was repeatedly cited in the court's decision.
[2] Padian received a bachelor's degree in Natural Science and a Master of Arts degree in Teaching from Colgate University, and a Ph.D. from Yale University, where he focused on the evolution of flight in pterosaurs.
He developed this research program in collaboration with Armand de Ricqlès and Jack Horner.
[8] He has cowritten several papers with John R. Horner and Armand de Ricqlès based on histological analysis of fossil bones from the UCMP as well as the Museum of the Rockies.
[9] He supervised several doctoral students who developed distinguished careers of their own, including Jacques Gauthier.