Alisha Anaya

My research focuses on skeletal morphology and functional anatomy in mammals, with a particular focus on locomotor transitions and development of diverse locomotor modes. I am especially interested in the concept of serial homology, or sameness, between the carpals and tarsals (wrist and ankle bones) and how forelimbs and hind limbs evolve together and apart. Using comparative samples that include both primates and carnivorans, I investigate how differences in limb use relate to broader patterns of adaptation and the transition toward upright walking. My work integrates evolutionary, developmental, and functional perspectives. 

George Washington University BS in Biological Anthropology, 2018

Duke University PhD Evolutionary Anthropology, 2025  

Almécija, S., Pugh, K.D., Anaya, A., Smith, C.M., Simmons, N.B., Voss, R.S., Duncan, N., Lunde, D.P., Viera, M.K., Gilissen, E., Maiolino, S.A., Winchester, J., Patel, B., Orr, C., Tocheri, M.W., Delson, E., Hammond, A.S., Boyer, D.M., Catalano, S.A., 2024. “Primate Phenotypes: A Multi-Institution Collection of 3D Morphological Data Housed in MorphoSource.” Nature Scientific Data, 11:1391 doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-04261-5

Guevara, E., Gopalan, S., Massey, D.J., Adeboyega, M., Zhou, W., Solis, A., Anaya, A.D., Churchill, S.E., Feldblum, J., Lawler, R., 2023. “Getting it right: Teaching undergraduate biology to undermine racial essentialism.” Biology Methods and Protocols, Vol. 8, Issue 1. Doi.org/10.1093/biomethods/bpad032

Anaya, A.D., Patel, B., Orr, C., Ward, C.V., Almécija, S., 2021. “Evolutionary trends of the lateral foot in catarrhine primates: Contextualizing the fourth metatarsal of Australopithecus afarensis.” Journal of Human Evolution, 161. Doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.103078

Hammond, A.S., Rook, L., Anaya, A.D., Cioppi, E., Costeur, L., Moyà-Solà, S., Almécija, S., 2020. “Insights into the lower torso in late Miocene hominoid Oreopithecus bambolii.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, 117(1) 278-284. doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1911896116