Anthropology
Open Access

Colin N Shaw

Biography

My PhD, undertaken at the University of Cambridge, focused on the correspondence between athletic activity patterns and skeletal variation in humans. Previous post-doctoral research at The Department of Anthropology and The Center for Quantitative Imaging, The Pennsylvania State University, assessed both cortical and trabecular bone morphology in humans and non-human primates, and questioned how morphology is influenced by general activity patterns. At present, I hold the position of Cushing Research Fellow within the Phenotypic Adaptability, Variation and Evolution (PAVE) Research Group and the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, Department of Archaeology & Anthropology, and am also a Research Associate at Corpus Christi College at the University of Cambridge, UK.

Research Interest

My research focuses on reconstructing prehistoric activity patterns by determining how morphology reflects adaptation. I employ a unique approach that utilizes 1. traditional in-vitro analyses of skeletal and fossil hominin remains, 2. non-traditional in-vivo analyses that assesses skeletal and soft tissue variation in living humans and, 3. human physiological experimentation aimed at defining the effect of prehistoric activity patterns on morphology. This research requires the application of advanced analytical techniques, including high-resolution 3D imaging and experimental archaeology.