Daniel E. Lieberman (born June 3, 1964) is a paleoanthropologist at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, where he is the Edwin M Lerner II Professor of

Biological Sciences Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary ...

, and Professor in the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology. He is best known for his research on the

evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...

of the

human head In human anatomy, the head is at the top of the human body. It supports the face and is maintained by the skull, which itself encloses the brain. Structure The human head consists of a fleshy outer portion, which surrounds the bony skull. Th ...

and the

human body The human body is the structure of a Human, human being. It is composed of many different types of Cell (biology), cells that together create Tissue (biology), tissues and subsequently organ systems. They ensure homeostasis and the life, viabi ...

Biography

Lieberman was educated at

, where he got his B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. He also received a M. Phil from

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. He was a Junior Fellow in the

Harvard Society of Fellows The Society of Fellows is a group of scholars selected at the beginnings of their careers by Harvard University for their potential to advance academic wisdom, upon whom are bestowed distinctive opportunities to foster their individual and intell ...

and taught at

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...

and the

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

before becoming a professor at

in 2001. Director of the Skeletal Biology Laboratory at Harvard, Lieberman is on the curatorial board of the

Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology The Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology is a museum affiliated with Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1866, the Peabody Museum is one of the oldest and largest museums focusing on anthropological material, with ...

, a member of the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard, and the Scientific Executive Committee of the L.S.B. Leakey Foundation.

Honors and awards

National Merit Scholar The National Merit Scholarship Program is a United States academic scholarship competition for recognition and university scholarships administered by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), a privately funded, not-for-profit organizati ...

, 1982 *

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

(Harvard College), 1986 * '' Summa cum laude'', Harvard College * Frank Knox III Memorial Fellowship, 1986-1987 * National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship, 1987-1990 * Junior Fellowship,

, 1993-1996 *

Ig Nobel Prize The Ig Nobel Prize ( ) is a satiric prize awarded annually since 1991 to celebrate ten unusual or trivial achievements in scientific research. Its aim is to "honor achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think." The name o ...

in Physics, 2009 * Everett Mendelsohn Excellence in Mentoring Award, Harvard University, 2009 * Harvard College Professorship, 2010-2015 * American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2020

Research

Lieberman studies how and why the human body is the way it is, with a primary focus on the evolution of physical activity His research combines paleontology, anatomy, physiology and experimental biomechanics in the lab and in the field. In his career, he initially focused to a large extent on why and how humans have such unusual heads. Since 2004 most of his research has focused on the evolution of human locomotion including whether the first hominins were bipeds, why bipedalism evolved, the biomechanical challenges of pregnancy in females, how locomotion affects skeletal function and, most especially, the evolution of running. His 2004 paper with Dennis Bramble, “Endurance Running and the Evolution of the Genus Homo” proposed that humans evolved to run long distances to scavenge and hunt. His research on running in general, especially barefoot running was popularized in Chris McDougall's best-selling book ''Born to Run''. Lieberman is an avid marathon runner, often barefoot, which has earned him the nickname 'The Barefoot Professor'.

Bibliography

Books

*Lieberman, Daniel (2011). ''The Evolution of the Human Head''. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-04636 * *

Critical studies and reviews of Lieberman's work

* Review of ''The story of the human body''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lieberman, Daniel Living people Harvard University faculty Harvard University alumni 1964 births Harvard Fellows Rutgers University faculty George Washington University faculty Alumni of the University of Cambridge