Jay Stock

Professor Jay Stock is a biological anthropologist at the Department of Anthropology, Western University. He holds a PhD from the University of Toronto (2002) and is affiliated with the PAve Lab (www.pavelab.ca). His research focuses on bioarchaeology, human biology, and paleoanthropology, with a particular emphasis on skeletal morphology, growth patterns, and evolutionary adaptations. Recent studies investigate ultra-endurance athletes as models for human physiological and cognitive adaptations, Neolithic mortuary practices in China, and the interplay between subsistence strategies and skeletal biology.

Research interests include the ontogeny of skeletal structures (e.g., calcaneus, femur), the evolution of human body size and brain development, and the application of biomarkers to understand past health and demography. He has explored topics such as lactase persistence, climatic influences on human morphology, and the bioarchaeology of prehistoric populations in Malta and Sri Lanka.

Recent funding has supported projects on the Mediterranean Neolithic transition, Sri Lankan prehistoric adaptations, and the biomechanics of Temple Period Maltese populations. He teaches graduate courses on human evolutionary biology and supervises students in bioanthropological research. His work bridges archaeological, biological, and historical datasets to address questions of human adaptation and resilience across time and space.