Karen Baab

Dr. Karen Baab is a Professor of Anatomy at Midwestern University, holding cross-appointments across multiple colleges including the Arizona College of Optometry, College of Dental Medicine-Arizona, and Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine. She specializes in paleoanthropology and anatomical morphology, with a focus on human evolution, craniofacial evolution, and hominin fossil analysis. Her research integrates geometric morphometrics to study evolutionary patterns and functional adaptations in extinct and modern humans.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Anthropology, The Graduate Center, CUNY (2007)
• M.A. in Anthropology, Hunter College, CUNY (2003)
• B.A. in Anthropology, Muhlenberg College (2000)

Research Interests: Dr. Baab explores topics such as hominin cranial variation, the evolutionary relationships between Homo erectus and modern humans, and biomechanical adaptations in the skull and larynx. Her work often involves reconstructing fossil specimens (e.g., Homo floresiensis pelvis, Gona hominin fossils) and analyzing their morphological and functional implications.

Teaching: She teaches anatomy courses, including head and neck anatomy for dental and medical students, and serves as a course director for anatomical sciences programs.

Outreach: Active in science education, she judges the Arizona State Science and Engineering Fair and contributes to public outreach initiatives.