Jeffrey H. Schwartz - Biography

Jeffrey Hugh Schwartz, PhD, (born March 6, 1948) is an American physical anthropologist and professor of biological anthropology at the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, President of the World Academy of Art and Science (WAAS).

Schwartz' research involves the methods, theories, and philosophies in evolutionary biology, including the origins and diversification of primates. He has studied and analyzed human and primate skeletons and archaeological remains, focusing much of his research on dentofacial morphology. He has done substantial fieldwork and museum research in the collections of major museums around the globe.

In the revised and updated publication of The Red Ape: Orangutans and Human Origins, he presents additional evidence for his contention that orangutans share significantly more morphological similarities to humans than any other great ape. His theory is controversial, especially in light of molecular evidence showing the chimpanzee to be more closely related to humans, supported by recent DNA analysis.

He has also been a major contributor to the George Washington project, an attempt to create wax figure likenesses of the first U.S. President at the ages of 19, 45, and 57, based upon dentofacial morphology. They are scheduled for display in 2006 in a new million education center and museum at Mount Vernon.

Since 1998 he serves as a consultant in forensic anthropology to the Allegheny County coroner's office.

In 2007 he was elected President of the World Academy of Art and Science for a five year term (one year as president-elect). He was the first person so elected, all previous presidents having been directly appointed by trustees of the organization.

Education

Born March 6 in Richmond, Virginia, Schwartz earned his bachelor's degree from Columbia College in 1969 and completed his doctorate from Columbia University in 1974.

Family

He is married to the poet Lynn Emanuel and they reside in Pittsburgh.

Major works

Film

Jeffrey H. Schwartz made an appearance in the documentary film The Trouble with Atheism.

Source: Contemporary Authors Online. The Gale Group, 2005.