The central research focus in our department is to understand the biological variation and evolution of humans, their ancestors, and closest relatives. We are using state-of-the-art technologies such as ancient DNA analysis, micro-computed tomography, geometric morphometrics, big data analysis and others. Our main research areas are:

  • Functional Morphology
  • Genetics & Isotopes
  • Behavioral Biology
  • Life History & Demography
  • Human Ecology

Gerhard Weber

Speaker

Research Areas: Human Evolution and Primate Morphology

    PhD Students:

    • Petra Šimková
    • Inga Stolbovaya
    • Elöd Úry

    Martin Fieder

    Research Areas: Evolutionary Demography; Migration and Integration; Evolution of Religions;  Bioinformatics and Statistical Genetics;  Research and higher Education Management;  Human Cooperation

    PhD Students:

    • Tobias Göllner
    • Sonja Kuderer

    Katerina Douka

    Research Areas: Radiocarbon Dating and Palaeoproteomics

    PhD Students:

    • Konstantina Cheshmedzhieva

    Thomas Higham

    Research Areas: Radiocarbon Dating, Archaeological Science, Palaeolithic archaeology, chronology, Neanderthals and Denisovans

    PhD Student:

    • Emily Pigott

    Sylvia Kirchengast

    Research Areas: Body composition and health; Migration and Health; Biological, evolutionary and social aspects of teenage pregnancies; etc.

    PhD Students:

    • Jeannette Becker
    • Sonja Kuderer
    • Magdalena Srienc-Sciesiek

    Martin Kuhlwilm

    Research Areas: genomics, admixture, primates incl. humans

    PhD Student:

    • Aigerim Rymbekova

    Ron Pinhasi

    Research Areas: Ancient DNA genomics of human populations across the world during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene with a strong link to physical anthropology and archaeology; aDNA from sediments and pathogen aDNA as well as on the genomics of domesticated species and commensals.

    PhD Students:

    • Victoria Oberreiter
    • Brina Zagorc

    Katrin Schäfer

    Research Areas: Human Behavioral Biology and Evolutionary Aesthetics

    PhD Student:

    • Muhammad Bilal Sharif

    Maria Techler-Nicola

    Research Areas: Bioanthropology, evolutionary anthropology, palaeopathology, archaeometry (migration studies, Sr-isotope ratios), history of anthropology

    Harald Wilfing

    Research Area: Human Ecology

    PhD Students:

    • Leo Capari
    • Liesa Geppner
    • Katarina Matiasek
    • Constanze Hedwig Schattke
    • Marcel Seifert
    • Savannah Schaufler
    • Mohammad Nazmul Arifin

    Elmira Mohandesan

    Co-Mentor

     

     

    PhD Student:

    • Muhammad Bilal Sharif
    • Arne Bielke