Chris Kirk
Distinguished Teaching Professor
Mailcode: C3200
An Austin native, Chris Kirk received his B.A. in Anthropology from UT Austin in 1995 and his Ph.D. in Biological Anthropology and Anatomy from Duke University in 2003. Much of his research focuses on evolutionary and functional anatomy, with a particular emphasis on the primate fossil record and special sense organs. He has conducted fieldwork in the Tornillo Basin of southwest Texas since 2005. Current projects include the description of (1) new middle Eocene primate species from the Devils Graveyard Formation (Uintan NALMA) and (2) the mammalian fauna from the Canoe Formation (Bridgerian NALMA). Dr. Kirk's primary academic appointment is in the Department of Anthropology. He is also a Research Associate of the Jackson School Museum of Earth History and a Research Affiliate of the Center for Perceptual Systems. Within the Jackson School, Dr. Kirk works extensively with the Texas Vertebrate Paleontology Collections and the UT High-Resolution X-ray Computed Tomography Facility.
Areas of Expertise
fossil, primate, Primates, evolution, Eocene, Oligocene, Paleogene, adapid, adapoid, adapiform, omomyoid, omomyid, omomyiform, anthropoid, haplorhine, haplorrhine, tarsier, lemur, strepsirrhine, mammal, synapsid, mammaliaform, mammal, vision, eye, retina, hearing, auditory, cochlea, semicircular canal, nasal cavity, nasal fossa, olfaction, olfactory, turbinal, turbinate, olfactory bulb, Texas, Big Bend, Tornillo Basin, Canoe Formation, Devil's Graveyard Formation, Hannold Hill Formation, brain, endocast, Wasatchian, Bridgerian, Uintan, Duchesnean, Chadronian
Texas Black and White Award - UT Graduate Student Assembly (2020 - 2020)
Billy Carr Distinguished Teaching Fellowship - UT Environmental Sciences Institute (2016 - 2016)
Membership, Academy of Distinguished Teachers - UT Academy of Distinguished Teachers (2016 - 2016)
Leslie Waggener Centennial Teaching Fellowship - UT College of Liberal Arts (2015 - 2015)
Dads Association Centennial Teaching Fellowship - Texas Parents Association (2014 - 2014)
Friar Centennial Teaching Fellowship - Friar Society (2010 - 2010)
Graduate Students
Benjamin Rodwell, Ph.D.
(Supervisor)
Anthropology
Ingrid Lundeen, Ph.D.
(Supervisor)
Anthropology
Anthropology Department Web Page
UT Anthropology Department faculty web page