Daniel E. Lieberman (born June 3, 1964) is a

paleoanthropologist Paleoanthropology or paleo-anthropology is a branch of paleontology and biological anthropology, anthropology which seeks to understand the early development of anatomically modern humans, a process known as wikt:hominization, hominization, throug ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, where he is the Edwin M Lerner II Professor of

Biological Sciences Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, and distribution of ...

, and Professor in the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology. He is best known for his research on the

evolution Evolution is the change in the heritable Phenotypic trait, characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. It occurs when evolutionary processes such as natural selection and genetic drift act on genetic variation, re ...

of the

human head In human anatomy, the head is at the top of the human body. It supports the face and is maintained by the human skull, skull, which itself encloses the human brain, brain. Structure The human head consists of a fleshy outer portion, which s ...

and the

human body The human body is the entire structure of a Human, human being. It is composed of many different types of Cell (biology), cells that together create Tissue (biology), tissues and subsequently Organ (biology), organs and then Organ system, org ...

Biography

Lieberman was educated at

, where he received his B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. He also received a M. Phil from

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

. He was a Junior Fellow in the

Harvard Society of Fellows The Society of Fellows is a group of scholars selected at the beginnings of their careers by Harvard University for their potential to advance academic wisdom, upon whom are bestowed distinctive opportunities to foster their individual and intellect ...

and taught at

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

and the

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

before becoming a professor at

in 2001. Director of the Skeletal Biology Laboratory at Harvard, Lieberman is on the curatorial board of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, a member of the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard, and the Scientific Executive Committee of the L.S.B. Leakey Foundation.

Honors and awards

* National Merit Scholar, 1982 *

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

(Harvard College), 1986 * ''

Summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

'', Harvard College * Frank Knox III Memorial Fellowship, 1986–1987 * National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship, 1987–1990 * Junior Fellowship,

, 1993–1996 * Everett Mendelsohn Excellence in Mentoring Award, Harvard University, 2009 * Harvard College Professorship, 2010–2015 * American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2020

Research

Lieberman studies how and why the human body is the way it is, with a primary focus on the evolution of physical activity His research combines paleontology, anatomy, physiology and experimental biomechanics in the lab and in the field. In his career, he initially focused to a large extent on why and how humans have such unusual heads. Since 2004 most of his research has focused on the evolution of human locomotion including whether the first hominins were bipeds, why bipedalism evolved, the biomechanical challenges of pregnancy in females, how locomotion affects skeletal function and, most especially, the evolution of running. His 2004 paper with Dennis Bramble, “Endurance Running and the Evolution of Homo” proposed that humans evolved to run long distances to scavenge and hunt. His research on running in general, especially barefoot running was popularized in Chris McDougall's best-selling book ''Born to Run''. Lieberman is an avid marathon runner, often barefoot, which has earned him the nickname 'The Barefoot Professor'.

Bibliography

Books

* * *

Reviews

References

External links

*
Dr. Daniel Lieberman - Research collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lieberman, Daniel Living people Harvard University faculty Harvard University alumni 1964 births Harvard Fellows Ig Nobel laureates Rutgers University faculty George Washington University faculty Alumni of the University of Cambridge