Nina G. Jablonski

Nina G. Jablonski is Evan Pugh University Professor of Anthropology at The Pennsylvania State University. A biological anthropologist and paleobiologist, she studies the evolution of adaptations to the environment in Old World primates including humans.

Jablonski conducts research on the evolution of primates and humans in relation to the environment. Her research of the primate fossil record draws upon the evidence of comparative anatomy, physiology, and paleoecology in order to understand why primates have evolved in the ways and places where they have. Her research on human evolution is focused on understanding how skin and skin pigmentation have evolved over time and in the course of widespread dispersals. Her research on the evolution of human skin color has grown to include explorations of skin-color-based concepts of human classification, including color-based race and its meanings.

Jablonski is the co-convener of the Effects of Race Project, which ran at The Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study from 2013 to 2020. This scholarly initiative was aimed at studying the effects of race in South African and other highly racialized societies. She is also the co-leader of the the development of "genetics and genealogy curriculum project," which has pioneered the utlization of personalized genetic testing and genealogical investigation in informal and formal learning contexts for K-12 learners and undergraduate university students.