• Read our Yearbook of Biological Anthropology paper about how researchers should be applying evolutionary quantitative genetics to questions about multi-trait evolution in primates
• Read about Dr. Auerbach's collaborative research on pelvic evolutionary genetics in Science Advances
• The Evolutionary Biology of the Human Pelvis IS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE
• Read Dr. Auerbach's PLoS Blog contribution about evolutionary medicine.

Welcome to my homepage! I am a Professor who works in the evolutionary biology and anatomy of vertebrates in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at The University of Tennessee in Knoxville. I am also Professor in the Department of Anthropology. I study variation and evolution by examining the skeletons of primates and other mammals.

My research interests focus on the application of quantitative genetics and functional anatomy to model & understand the evolution of traits in mammals, especially primates and Australian marsupials. My work focuses on morphological variation, including: modeling the evolution of trait complexes; assessing variation in body size, form, & proportions; applying functional anatomy to skeletal variation; measuring asymmetry in the skeleton; & using morphological integration to understand evolutionary potential. I examine these properties in relation to environmental factors, namely climate, biomechanics, and subsistence, within the context of quantitative evolutionary models of population structure & natural selection.

In addition to the above research, I study the history and ethics of the biological and social sciences. My research focus is in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with an emphasis on the history and ongoing manifestations of eugenics.

I have also extensively studied variation among a global sample of humans from archaeological and medical contexts. That research used morphological traits to build an understanding of the ways in which environments shaped humans. Coupled with archaeological data, I have especially focused on models of human interactions with mosaic landscapes of the Americas, as well as other regions.

Please explore this site using the navigation links above (under my name) and the quick links to the right. Under PUBLICATIONS are some PDF copies of and all supplemental materials - including high-resolution versions of figures - from my peer-reviewed papers and books. A list of the courses I instruct and related materials (including syllabi) are available under COURSES. Additional links to my research laboratory (the Organismal Variation Analysis Laboratory), my former & current graduate students, and research projects may be found in the RESEARCH section. You may contact me by mail, email, or phone:

Dr. Benjamin M. Auerbach
Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
The University of Tennessee
E-mail: auerbach@utk.edu
Office: 520 Hesler Biology

Mailing Address:
569 Dabney Hall
1416 Circle Dr.
Knoxville, Tennessee 37996
Telephone: (+1) 865-974-3065