Tracy Kivell

Tracy Kivell is a paleoanthropologist and Director of the Department of Human Origins at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. She previously held the position of Professor of Biological Anthropology at the University of Kent (2013–2023) and conducted postdoctoral research at the same institute (2009–2013). Her research focuses on the evolution of primate skeletons, particularly the relationship between bone structure and function in locomotion and manipulation. She leads studies on Australopithecus sediba and Homo naledi hand fossils, employing methods like microCT scanning and musculoskeletal modeling.

Education: PhD in Biological Anthropology (2007) and MA (2002) from the University of Toronto, Canada.

Research interests include the evolution of bipedalism, tool use, and functional morphology of the hand and skeleton. Key projects involve collaboration with institutions worldwide to analyze fossil and extant primate anatomy.

Key Awards: Wolfson Foundation Award (2020), ERC Consolidator Grant (2019–2024), ERC Starting Grant (2014–2019). She has supervised numerous PhD students and postdoctoral researchers in evolutionary anthropology and related fields.

Her work bridges anatomical analysis with biomechanical studies, advancing understanding of human origins and primate adaptation.