Joel D. Irish

I am a bioarchaeologist with extensive academic and applied experience in dental anthropology, human osteology, and paleopathology. I also have a strong background in prehistoric archaeology, having been involved in >35 seasons of archaeological and bioarchaeological fieldwork in the U.S., Europe, and Africa. A principal area of research involves a biocultural approach to the Upper Pleistocene through modern peopling of Africa, with a concentration on dental morphometric data to understand population origins, biological affinities, migration, and diachronic adaptation. I have assembled a large database of dental and osseous morphometric variants (313 variables in >6,000 individuals), recorded in North and sub-Saharan African samples from institutions throughout the world. Though concentrating on Upper Pleistocene through recent groups, I also apply this approach to Plio-Pleistocene hominins including, most recently, Australopithecus sediba and Homo naledi (Rising Star Cave) in conjunction with colleagues from South Africa and the U.S. Because of this and other research I have four co-edited books, two co-authored book, >90 peer-reviewed articles in professional journals and edited volumes, >90 presentations at regional, national, and international meetings, and various manuscripts under review or in progress.

Education:
1993: PhD, Arizona State University, Biological Anthropology.
1984: MS, Minnesota State University, Mankato, Anthropology (Continuing Studies Program).
1980: BS, Minnesota State University, Mankato, Anthropology.

Experience:
2012-Present: Professor, Anthropology and Archaeology, Liverpool John Moores University.
2012-Present: Professor Emeritus: Department of Anthropology, University of Alaska.
2014-Present: Research Associate, Evolutionary Studies Institute and Centre for Excellence in PaleoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand.
1998-2012: Asst., Assoc., and full Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Alaska.