K. Christopher Beard

A 2000 MacArthur Fellowship "Genius" Award Winner, Dr. Beard is a vertebrate paleontologist interested in the origin and early evolution of primates and how changes in the Earth’s physical environment have impacted Cenozoic mammals. He joined KU in 2014. Through his field and laboratory research, he investigates the fossil record of early mammal—and specifically primate—evolution. Important goals of this research include understanding how, when, and where such familiar taxa as anthropoid primates (monkeys, apes and humans) evolved. He also focuses on reconstructing the evolution and biogeography of early mammals in relation to perturbations of the physical environment. 

Learn more about Chris Beard on the Museum Studies website.