Jackson K. Njau

Associate Professor, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Research Associate, The Stone Age Institute
Adjunct Professor, Anthropology
Affiliate Faculty, African Studies Program, Indiana University

My research seeks to understand the relationship between paleoenvironments and hominin evolution. Drawing on a diverse array of paleoanthropological methods, my work integrates zooarchaeology, vertebrate taphonomy, paleontology, geology, and ecologically grounded actualistic studies of predator-prey dynamics, all through the lens of archaeological perspectives. Over the past fifteen years, I have concentrated on understanding the role of crocodylian predation in hominin evolution, with a particular focus on the renowned Olduvai Gorge, which is perhaps the most famous of all archaeological sites in the world that continues to shape our understanding of human evolutionary history. Currently, I am co-directing a scientific drilling project aimed at analyzing the continental core records from the Olduvai ancient lakebeds to gain high-resolution insights into the paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental conditions that influenced hominin evolution.