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The Ledi-Geraru Research Project was begun in 2002. We focused on looking for fossil deposits that would be able to answer questions related to the disappearance of Australopithecus afarensis and the appearance of the genus Homo.
We surveyed the region since that time (most recently in 2020), and found deposits in the region with sediments aged from 2.95--2.4 Ma, and some deposits that are younger still. Fossiliferous sediments of that age are fairly rare in the Lower Awash Valley (although you can see some of them in the picture above in which Omar Abdulla is pointing to a tephra that was above some hominin teeth that we found in 2015). We have recovered the oldest member of the genus Homo and the earliest Olduwan stone tools on the plant. Other secrets await in these outcrops. |
Ramon ArrowsmithRamon is a Professor of Geology, in the School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University. Ramon has been with the project since 2002 and his research focuses on the geological framework of the Lower Awash Valley. He is co-Director of the project.
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Chris CampisanoChris is an Associate Professor at the School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University. Chris has been with the project since 2005 and his research involves understanding the stratigraphy and tephrostratigraphy of the region. He is also head honcho on the development and maintenance of the fossil database for both the Ledi-Geraru and Hadar Research Projects. He is co-Director of the project.
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Lars WerdelinLars is is a Swedish paleontologist (Professor, Swedish Museum of Natural History) who specializes in the evolution of mammalian carnivores. He also contrasts African carnivore and hominin evolution. He has been with the project since 2004 and has surveyed for fossils when the going was tough and we walked for miles with no fossils in sight.
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Brian VillmoareBrian is Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Department of Anthropology. He has been with the project since 2002. He is a paleoanthropologist and surveys the region for early hominids. He is co-director of the project.
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Erin DiMaggioErin is a Research Associate at Pennsylvania State University. She has been with the project since 2008. She is a geologist focused on investigating the tectonics, stratigraphy, and volcanic deposits in the Ledi-Geraru and the Afar Depression, Ethiopia.
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David BraunDavid is a Professor in the Department of Anthropology, George Washington University. He has been with the project since 2012. He is an archaeologist with a particular expertise in stone tools.
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Amy Rector
Amy is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Virginia Commonwealth University and Director of the School of World Studies. She surveys and identifies fossils in the field and is co-Director of the Project. Her research focuses on reconstructing environments of early hominins.
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David FearyDavid is a Research Professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University. He has been with the project since 2013. He works on sedimentary geology and 3-D modeling of outcrops for the project. He also is the logistics whiz of the group.
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Chelachew SeyoumChelachew is an Instructor of Anatomy at the University of Missouri, Colombia. He has been with the project since 2012. He surveys for early hominin remains, and his research involves isotopic analysis. He also found LD 350-1, a mandible of the genus Homo, dated to 2.8 Ma.
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John RowanJohn is an assistant Professor at SUNY Albany. He has been with the project since 2013. He is a paleontologist that surveys the outcrops, and has an analytical emphasis on cetartiodactyls (especially antelope and giraffes).
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Irene SmailIrene is a postdoctoral scholar at the Department of Integrative Anatomical Sciences, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California.. Irene has been with the project since 2015. Irene surveys for fossils in the field, and is very good at finding small fossils! Her research interests focus on cercopithecid primates.
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Ellis LockeEllis is an Assistant Professor of Anatomy at the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine in Meridian, Idaho.. He has been with the project since 2015. Ellis surveys for fossils in the field, and is also good at finding small fossils. His research examines cercopithcoid monkeys and the maintenance of their teeth for diets.
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Ignacio LazagabasterNacho is currently a postdoc at the University of Liverpool He has been with the project since 2015. Nacho surveys for fossils and is very excited when pigs are found as his research focuses on omnivorous mammals such as suids and hominins.
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Eric Scott
Eric is at the Department of Biology, College of Natural Sciences, California State University, San Bernardino. He has been with the project since 2015. He surveys for fossils with an expertise in equids.
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Joshua Robinson
Josh is a lecturer in the geography and anthropology at the University of Maine. He has been with the project since 2015. Josh has the large job of managing the database in the field as well as searching for fossils. He also is an expert in isotopes and has sampled many of the mammals that were recovered by project members from 2012-2015.
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Dominique Garello
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Dom is an Instructor in the Department of Geology and Geophysics at Louisiana State University. She has been with the project since 2013. Dom works on mapping and sedimentology in various drainages, especially the Markaytoli.
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