Professor Robert Foley

My research focuses on the evolutionary and ecological underpinnings of humans, their adaptations and behaviour, and their evolutionary history. This research has ranged from early hominins to the evolution of modern human and their diversity, and included archaeological, morphological and genetic approaches. I have a particular interest in the development and application of general evolutionary models to human evolution. Language, as a key element in human evolution, is an important area of research in this field, comprising both the origins and evolution of language itself, and also the processes of linguistic diversification. Current projects with Marta Mirazón Lahr, include the evolution of human diversity, modelling cultural boundaries, Late Quaternary human evolution in West Turkana, the prehistory of the Central Sahara (Libya), and the evolutionary ecology of lithic technology.