Faysal Bibi

Faysal Bibi is a Senior Scientist at the Museum für Naturkunde (Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Research) in Berlin and serves as a Lecturer (Privatdozent) at the Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam. He holds a B.A. in Anthropology from UC Berkeley (2001), an M.Phil. (2006) and Ph.D. (2009) in Geology & Geophysics from Yale University, and completed his Habilitation at Potsdam in 2019. He teaches an annual intensive course on 'Phylogenetics in Evolution and Ecology'.

Bibi's research specializes in mammalian evolution with emphasis on ruminants and bovids, African biogeography, hominid paleoenvironments, and Arabian Peninsula evolutionary history. His work integrates paleoecology, phylogenetics, and geometric morphometrics to study fossil records from key African and Middle Eastern sites. Primary research domains include: Pleistocene fauna of Sudan's Atbara Valley, Late Miocene ecosystems in UAE, conservation paleobiology, and ruminant diversification patterns.

Bibi co-leads the Amniota Lab focusing on fossil/extant terrestrial vertebrates through anatomical, molecular and ecological methods. Fieldwork spans Africa and the Mediterranean, employing 3D visualization and CT scanning. Major projects include National Geographic/DFG-funded excavations in Sudan documenting Acheulean-to-Middle Stone Age transitions, and UAE Miocene fossil analysis revealing Arabian paleobiogeography. His publications consistently appear in high-impact journals including Science, Nature, and Nature Ecology & Evolution.