Dr Thorpe's expertise lies in the field of ecomorphology. Her research is about understanding how organisms get to be built the way they are built, and the consequences of their design for patterns of resource use, interactions with other species, and for patterns of evolution. Specific themes in her lab at present are the arboreal origins of human locomotion and anatomy; how animals (including humans) interact with complex habitats and the cognitive demands of complex locomotion
Experience
2016–present
Reader in Zoology, University of Birmingham
2011–2016
Senior Lecturer in Biosciences, University of Birmingham
Education
1997
University of Leeds, PhD (Biomechanics)
Publications
2017
Halsey LG, Coward SRL, Crompton RH, Thorpe SKS (2017). Practise makes perfect: performance optimisation in ‘arboreal’ parkour athletes illuminates the evolutionary ecology of great ape anatomy., Journal of Human Evolution 103: 45-52
2017
Johannsen L, Coward SRL, Martin GR, Wing AM, van Casteren A, Sellers WI, Ennos AR, Crompton RH and Thorpe SKS (2017) Human bipedal instability in tree canopy environments is reduced by “light touch” fingertip support. , Scientific Reports 7: 1135, DOI:10.1038/s41598-017-01265-7