One goal of this research is to trace the actual course of primate evolution. More importantly, detailed studies of primate evolution can provide insight into the evolutionary process itself.
Field research provides new, often unexpected data for analysis and study.
My students and I are currently working on new specimens of small Eocene primates from Utah and California. Much of the new material is discovered during annual Washington University field projects in the Uinta Basin, Utah. Also, we are continuing with our analyses of Eocene anthropoids from Egypt, the earliest known relatives of monkeys, apes, and humans. Laboratory facilities used by graduate students include a paleontological lab for preparation and analysis of fossil primates. The courses I teach include graduate seminars that focus on quantitative methods in primate paleobiology, phylogeny and paleontology.