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The Centre for Research in Evolutionary Anthropology (CREA) was founded in 2002, in recognition of the strengths in evolutionary aspects of biological anthropology at Roehampton. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, we were ranked fourth highest of the anthropology departments in the UK, and the highest of those anthropology departments working on evolutionary anthropology. In total, 80% of our research was judged to be world leading or internationally excellent, a higher percentage than any other anthropology department in the country. We are building on this success by expanding our active research programmes and postgraduate training. The latter is achieved through PhD students and also at Masters level through our MRes Primate Biology, Behaviour and Conservation. 

For further information on research in CREA please see the home pages of individual members of the centre.

Research

Research carried out by staff and students encompasses a range of fields in primatology, including socioecology, life history strategies, communication, welfare, reproductive endocrinology, comparative morphology and crop-raiding behaviour. Current fieldwork sites include Gashaka Gumti National Park in Nigeria, Cayo Santiago in Puerto Rico and Jaú National Park in Brazil. In addition, we investigate key aspects of human evolution, including comparative morphology, evolutionary and developmental constraints on hard tissues, functional morphology, modelling, palaeopathology of prehistoric and historic human populations, neurological evolution and the evolution of language and speech.

Our research features regularly in the popular and scientific media. Recent coverage includes:

• Effects of climate change on African leaf eating monkeys (featured by Science Daily)
• Monkeys keep chatter short and sweet (featured by BBC News)
• Monkeys' grooming habits give clues to how we socialise (featured by Science Daily)
• Monkey mums bow to pester power (featured by BBC News)
• Monkey gossip hints at social origins of language (featured by New Scientist)
• Primates 'on the pill' (featured by New Scientist)
• Grooming in macaques: better to give than to receive (featured by Science)
• Amazon Flooding (featured by BBC Radio 4)
• New 'hobbit' disease link claim (featured by BBC News)
• Primate communication linked to social bonding (featured by New Scientist)

Collaborations

Strong external links and Honorary Research Fellows of the Centre increase our network of contacts and expertise in the field of evolutionary anthropology. Collaborative research is ongoing with a number of external institutions including the German Primate Centre in Göttingen, Vienna and Budapest Natural History Museums, the Field Musuem Chicago, the Caribbean Primate Research Center, St. Andrews University, Lincoln University, Sussex University, Institute of Zoology, University College London, Royal Holloway College and Oxford Brookes University as well as with Roehampton colleagues in social anthropology.

Equipment

The School is well equipped for work in evolutionary anthropology with fieldwork equipment including state-of-the-art GPS and GIS hardware and software, Psion Observers, and sound recording equipment. Our laboratory facilities include HPLC, ELISA and a radioactive lab, which are used for endocrinological analyses. For the analysis of hard tissues, we have morphometric tools, SEM and imaging facilities, microCT and portable X-ray equipment, and a fossil hominin cast collection.