PhD Candidate
University of Missouri School of Medicine
University of Missouri School of Medicine
I am a paleoanthropologist and anatomist and am currently a PhD candidate at the University of Missouri School of Medicine. I study the fossil record of human evolution with a particular focus on understanding the patterns and drivers of taxonomic, ecological, and behavioral diversity in the human lineage.
In my dissertation research, I have developed a new method for quantifying 3D skeletal anatomy of living humans using clinical ultra-low dose biplanar X-rays and am combining this approach with established tools in experimental biomechanics to study how the shape of the bones in the pelvis and lower limbs is related to walking biomechanics.
I am using this data to develop an experimentally validated framework for interpreting locomotor behaviors in our fossil relatives. This will allow us to develop a better understanding of the forces driving the evolution of our lineage and how our fossil relatives interacted with the environment.
