Creating a Legacy of Research

Since its first PhD graduate in 2002, affiliated faculty of the Institute of Human Origins (IHO) have mentored 42 PhD graduates—27 of them women, including IHO’s second PhD graduate, Elizabeth H. Harmon, in 2005.

What made us human? In 2014, the ASU Institute of Human Origins received a $4.9 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation to investigate how key traits in human evolution played crucial roles in our emergence.

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Graduates affiliated with the Institute of Human Origins are going on to challenging and impactful careers in science, academia, and research. Below is a growing list of our alumni and where they are making a mark on the field of anthropology. 

The Institute of Human Origins is a model for a strong public/private partnership between ASU and the IHO Research Council. That partnership is key to our success and a critical aspect of our long-term vision.

The IHO Research Council comprises individuals from business, education, and scientific communities who provide strategic guidance and financial support for operations, research, and outreach and, through its broad network, provides an outlet for IHO’s diverse public programs.

In addition to ASU faculty, IHO incorporates an international network of research affiliates whose research perspectives, skills, and tools extend and reinforce IHO’s transdisciplinary mission in human origins research and student training.

Zeresenay Alemseged PhD, University of Chicago, Illinois
African early hominins, paleoecology