I am a paleoanthropologist and paleoecologist studying the evolution of human-environment interactions. I direct an active research program investigating how changing environments impacted human adaptations, and how and when humans began to have an outsized impact on the ecosystems within which we are embedded. With significant external funding, I have been able to involve undergraduate and graduate students in my research, and to disseminate my research findings through numerous peer-reviewed publications in top journals. My first-hand research experience discovering hominin fossils in Ethiopia and Kenya allows me to bring a personal touch to my graduate and undergraduate teaching. I am also focused on applying statistical approaches to the paleo-sciences. My top-rated graduate course Analytical Methods in Evolutionary Anthropology has played a key role in developing a generation of Human Paleobiology student researchers, whose technical skills have allowed them to conduct cutting-edge research that enhances the international reputation of GWU.