Gabrielle A. Russo

Associate Professor
Ph.D., The University of Texas at Austin, 2013

Email: gabrielle.russo@stonybrook.edu

Teaching

Courses taught at Stony Brook include ANP 120 Introduction to Biological Anthropology, ANP 404 Human Osteology, ANP 410 Comparative Primate Anatomy, ANT/DPA 591 Professional Skills in the Anthropological Sciences I, ANT/DPA 592 Professional Skills in the Anthropological Sciences II, and SSO 102 Mammals in Motion.

Research Interests

My research focuses on the functional morphology and evolution of the primate locomotor skeleton. I emphasize comparative, evolutionary, and developmental approaches, and employ a number of morphometric techniques, including high-resolution computed tomography imaging. My current work investigates three major transitions in the axial skeleton that occurred during hominoid evolution: the loss of an external tail, the adoption of orthograde trunk posture, and adaptations to bipedal locomotion. To address these topics, I quantify variation and capture functional signals in the external and internal bony anatomy of the vertebral column in living primates and other mammals, and then apply my findings to the primate fossil record.