Brian Villmoare
Associate Professor; Adjunct Associate Professor Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV
Biography
Brian Villmoare’s research interests range from broad questions of evolutionary theory to high-resolution studies of the internal structures of the hominin face. Current research projects include studying the role of selection and genetics in evolutionary change and extinction, the specific evolutionary constraints and selection pressures responsible for hominin craniofacial form, determining the homology of unique characters in the hominin cranium, and FEA biomechanical analyses of early hominins. Past fieldwork includes Makapansgat, South Africa, and Koobi Fora, Kenya, and he has worked in the Afar region of Ethiopia since 2002, where he is currently a director of the NSF-funded Ledi-Geraru Project with Kaye Reed and Chris Campisano.
Education
Ph.D. : Arizona State University (2008)
Research Interests
Biological anthropology, paleoanthropology, early African human fossil record, evolutionary theory, adaptation, morphological evolution, osteology, dental anthropology, ontogeny, evolutionary developmental biology, morphological integration, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa.