William L. Jungers

William L. Jungers, (November 17, 1948) is an American anthropologist and the chair of the Department of Anatomical Sciences at State University of New York at Stony Brook on Long Island, New York. He is most famous for his work on the biomechanics of bipedal locomotion in hominids such as the 3.4 million-year-old Lucy ("Australopithecus afarensis"), [Jungers, W.L. (1982). Lucy's limbs: Skeletal allometry and locomotion in Australopithecus afarensis (A.L. 288-1). "Nature" 297:676-678.] , and the 6.1-5.8 million-year old Millenium Man "Orrorin tugenensis" [Richmond B.G. and Jungers W.L. (2008), "Orrorin tugenensis" Femoral Morphology and the Evolution of Hominin Bipedalism, "Science" 319. no. 5870, pp. 1662 - 1665.] . He has also devoted much of his career to the study of the lemurs of Madagascar, especially giant extinct subfossil forms such as Megaladapis [Jungers, W.L., (2005). The functional significance of skeletal allometry in Megaladapis in comparison to living prosimians. "American Journal of Physical Anthropology", 49(3), pp. 303 - 314.] . More recently, Jungers has been a subject of media attention due to his analysis of the remains of Homo floresiensis, which he believes to be legitimate members of a newly-discovered species based on remains of the shoulder, [Larson S.G., Jungers W.L., Morwood M.J., Sutikna T., Jatmiko, Saptomo E.W., Due R.A., Djubiantono T. 2007. Homo floresiensis and the evolution of the hominin shoulder. "Journal of Human Evolution". 53(6):718-31.] , the wrist [Tocheri M.W., Orr C.M., Larson S.G., Sutikna T, Jatmiko, Saptomo E.W., Due R.A., Djubiantono T., Morwood M.J., Jungers W.L. (2007). The primitive wrist of Homo floresiensis and its implications for hominin evolution. "Science", 317(5845):1743-5.] , and the feet [http://anthropology.net/2008/04/17/bill-jungers-conclusions-on-homo-floresiensis-bipedalism-the-clown-footed-hominin/] .

Early life

Jungers was born in Palacios, Texas and spent much of his early life in that area. Although he and his family often struggled to make ends meet, Jungers excelled academically. Standing 6'4" tall, he was also an accomplished basketball player throughout his high school career. He attended Oberlin College after graduating from high school as a valedictorian; while there he became immersed in the liberal political and social culture of the late 1960's. He later received his PhD in anthropology from the University of Michigan in 1976 at the age of 26. He was hired shortly thereafter at the State University of New York at Stony Brook Department of Anatomical Sciences, where he has remained throughout the course of his career.

Scholarly Life

Jungers has built a name for himself as an expert in biomechanics. His definitive edited work on primate allometry [Jungers, W.L., ed. (1985). "Size and Scaling in Primate Evolution." Plenum Press, New York] remains a classic reference. While Jungers interests are diverse, they invariably focus on the diversity of animal form and function. His professional interest in the giant extinct subfossil lemurs, for example, is in part due to their initial isolation in the virtually predator-free environment of Madagascar, their subsequent adaptive radiation, and the unusual morphological and behavioral diversity that resulted as a consequence [Plavcan JM, Kay R.F., Jungers W.L., van Schaik C.P. (2001). Reconstructing Behavior in the Primate Fossil Record (Advances in Primatology). Plenum Press, NY] . Similarly, his interest in hominid bipedalism is due to the unique muscular and skeletal constraints required for locomotion in ourselves and our ancestors, and his interest in the "hobbit" fossils reflect the peculiar influence of insular dwarfism. As of August 2008, Jungers has authored well over 100 peer-reviewed articles about the relationship between form and function in many primate species, both extinct and extant. Due to his publication record, academic service, statistical savvy, willingness to help students, journal editorship and focus on media-worthy subjects, Jungers is often considered one of the most influential biological anthropologists living today.

Personal life

Since the days of Louis Leakey, the field of hominid paleontology has been as famous for its ego clashes as it has been for its discoveries. Jungers, however, is often described as approachable and humorous. He is especially beloved by the medical students to whom he taught gross anatomy, both for his high standards and for his natural passion for the subject, and by the many graduate students he has advised throughout the course of his career. He maintains close friendships with many colleagues, as well as with many individuals native to Madagascar where he works abroad most frequently. He is divorced with two adult children, and currently resides on Long Island.

Awards

* Phi Beta Kappa (Oberlin College)
* Alfred P. Sloan Scholar, Oberlin College (1966-1970)
* Comfort-Starr Award in Sociology-Anthropology, Oberlin College (1970)
* Danforth Foundation Graduate Fellow (1971-1975)
* Rackham Graduate School Fellowship, University of Michigan (1976)
* Aescupalius Award in Recognition of Outstanding Teaching, SBU (1994)
* Dean’s Award for Excellence in Graduate Mentoring, SBU (2002)
* Excellence in Teaching Award - SOM (1986, 1990, 1992, 1994, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004)
* President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching (2006-2007)
* Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching (2006-2007)

References