Gerald J. Wyckoff was born in New York on a cold October morning in 1972. He realized early on that he wanted to be a biologist and realized his dream by first walking through museums, then taking courses at Cold Spring Harbor Labs, then by going to Cornell and graduating with a BS in 1994, and finally by getting his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 2000. He has been at the University of Missouri-Kansas City since September of 2002.

Apart from biological pursuits, Dr. Wyckoff is married to his wife, Cynthia Sharpe, who is the Director of Exhibits at Thinkwell Design & Production in LA. He currently lives in Overland Park, Kansas and is the father of a 6 year old XY heterozygote named Sean who enjoys rock climbing.

In his spare time, Jerry enjoys old movies, science fiction novels, wine, a good cigar, hiking and photography.