Projects

My current projects include

  • Cortical thickness and periosteal curvature mapping of the humerus in Middle and Upper Palaeolithic infants and children (CO-I with Maria Mednikova, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow).
  • Cortical thickness and periosteal curvature mapping of the humerus throughout growth and development.
  • Virtual simulation of birth mechanics in early hominins.
  • Investigation of reference samples for juvenile body mass estimation.
  • Combining anatomical network analysis and geometric morphometrics in the study of the hominoid canium and the hominoid thorax.
  • Morphometric description of the growth and development of the shoulder and thorax in modern and Pleistocene human populations.
  • Radiographic based dental ageing of juvenile material from Newcastle Blackgate (UK), Sayala (Sudan), Taforalt (Morocco), Afalou Bhou Rummel (Algeria).
  • Multi-scale Imaging in the Turkana Basin (collaboration with Louise Leakey, Timothy Gichunge (TBI/NMK) and Phil Manning (Manchester)).
  • Comparison of multiple scanning and photogrammetric reconstruction algorithms for osteological analysis (PI,in collaboration with Louise Leakey, Timothy Gichunge (TBI/NMK); LMI technologies/Mechinnovation, Autodesk and Artec (industrial collaborators).
  • 3D printing of hominin fossils for public outreach (I have helped to coordinate outreach at Thinktank Museum and Manchester Museum. I also contributed to the 2017 Cambridge Science Festival).

Contributing collaborator

  • African Fossils (I act as an international collaborator)
  • 3 dimensional marker-less motion capture of precise movements (in collaboration with Bill Sellers (Manchester); Alastair Yoxall (Sheffield Hallam); Charlotte Brassey (Manchester Metropolitan)
  • Functional anatomy of the Southern Cassowary Casuarius casuarius (In collaboration with Charlotte Brassey (Manchester Metropolitan); Kayleigh Rose; Jennifer AnnĂ©; BIll Sellers (all Manchester) and Sophie Renault (RVC)
  • Microtomography of chalk and daub artefacts from Durringon Walls (In collaboration with Anne Teather (UCL) and Tristan Lowe (Manchester)
  • Microtomography of animal mummies from Manchester Museum (in collaboration with Lidija McKnight and Tristan Lowe (both Manchester)).

Past projects

  • "3D printing Lucy". A new virtual reconstruction of AL288-1 "Lucy" which is has been rapid prototyped (funded by Shapeways.com)
  • Convex hull based body estimates of modern and fossil birds and primates (in collaboration with Bill Sellers (Manchester) and Charlotte Brassey (Manchester Metropolitan)
  • Iodine contrast tomography of the cranium of the the Southern Cassowary Casuarius casuarius (In collaboration with Charlotte Brassey (Manchester Metropolitan) and Tristan Lowe (Manchester)
  • Virtual reconstruction, rapid prototyping and biomechanical description of the perinatal fossil from the Magdelenian site of Wilczyce, Poland (see publications)
  • Maintenance of the International Mummified Tissue Archive at the KNH Centre for Biomedical Egyptology, Manchester.
  • Functional morphology of the humerus in 2 contrasting populations (unpublished masters research).
  • Statistical analysis of grave goods and gender correlations in Anglo Saxon burials in Kent (unpublished undergraduate thesis).