Dr. Yohannes Haile-Selassie

Curator and Head of Physical Anthropology
e-mail: yhailese@cmnh.org
phone: (216) 231-4600, ext. 3242
B.A., history, The Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
M.A., anthropology, The University of California, Berkeley
Ph.D., integrative biology, The University of California, Berkeley

Discovered a number of significant early hominid fossil specimens, including the partial skeleton of the 4.4 million-year-old hominid species Ardipithecus ramidus; a cranium of the 2.5 million-year-old hominid species Australopithecus garhi, which is the type specimen; and the new and earliest hominid species, Ardipithecus kadabba, which he previously named as a subspecies of Ardipithecus ramidus (the renaming was based on his discovery of new early hominid teeth dated to between 5.54 and 5.77 million years).

Areas of specialization or interest:

Paleoanthropology, vertebrate paleontology with particular emphasis on the Late Miocene faunal evolution in East Africa, and Late Miocene paleobiogeography and paleoecology.

Current research:

Continuing paleoanthropological field research in Ethiopia’s Afar Rift region on sites discovered by air, foot and vehicle surveys conducted in 2002 and 2003. Continuing to participate in the ongoing Middle Awash Research Project in Ethiopia, which is directed by Museum Research Associate and University of California, Berkeley, professor of integrative biology Dr. Tim White. Writing a monograph on the Late Miocene vertebrate fauna from the Middle Awash of the Afar region in Ethiopia.

Dr. Yohannes Haile-Selassie Curriculum Vitae