Lab Members
Brian VIllmoare
Principal Investigator
Curriculum Vitae
I am a paleoanthropologist interested in a variety of subjects related to human evolution including 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.
My past fieldwork includes Makapansgat, South Africa, and Koobi Fora, Kenya. Since 2002, I have worked in the Afar region of Ethiopia, where I am currently a co-director of the Ledi-Geraru Project with Kaye Reed, Chris Campisano, and Ramone Arrowsmith. The project is funded by the National Science Foundation.
I received my PhD in physical anthropology from Arizona State University in 2008. Working with Charlie Lockwood and Bill Kimbel, I focused on detailed analyses of the craniofacial morphology of early fossil hominins.
alesha Pettit
Graduate Student
Curriculum Vitae
I am a paleoanthropologist with a specific interest in the morphological changes that occurred in Middle-Late Pleistocene hominins. Most of my research involves examination and analysis of the zygomatic bone and surrounding morphology. I am interested in more complex evolutionary questions, specifically regarding genetic drift, integration, and modularity, and how these relate to the hominin craniofacial region. I use geometric morphometrics as the framework for much of my research.
I have a master’s degree from California State University in Sacramento and am currently working toward my PhD at UNLV. I teach at UNLV, the UNLV School of Medicine, and the College of Southern Nevada.
I joined the UNLV paleoanthropology laboratory in the fall of 2018 after finishing my B.S. in biochemistry at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. My interests include dental evolution, convergent evolution, evo-devo, and locomotion, both within the hominin clade and in other animals. My master’s work under Dr. Villmoare examined the taxonomic and phylogenetic status of KNM-ER 5431 and was successfully defended at the end of 2020. My doctoral project (anticipated completion 2024) aims to shed light onto the convergence of certain aspects of the morphology of early Homo and Paranthropus through the use of both the fossil record and through extant animal models. My past field work includes a season at Koobi Fora. I also maintain my own website.