Zewdi Tsegai | Ape Move Lab

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Ape-Move Lab
University of Chicago
PI: Zewdi Tsegai

Zewdi J. Tsegai, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator

I am a palaeoanthropologist and my research is primarily focused on understanding the evolution of bipedalism and reconstructing locomotion among early fossil human relatives (hominins). A key focus of my research has involved understanding how behaviour shapes the skeleton, and how we can use plastic features to reconstruct locomotor behaviour in the past. Key areas of ongoing research include the functional morphology of the foot, how the skeleton changes during growth, and intraspecific variability in internal bone morphology.

I joined the Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy at the University of Chicago in 2023, after having completed doctoral and post-doctoral research at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (Leipzig, Germany) and the University of Kent (Canterbury, UK).

ztsegai@uchicago.edu

Education and Training

2022 - 2023

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellow, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, UK

2018 - 2021

Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Germany

2018

Ph.D. Biology, Leipzig University and Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Germany

2012

M.Sc. Human Evolution and Behaviour, University College London, UK

2009

B.A. Natural Sciences, University of Cambridge, UK

Publications

2025

Farrell HN, Schwartz R, Tsegai ZJ, Alemseged Z. 2025. Locomotor signals in the trabecular structure of the hominoid clavicle. Journal of Anatomy DOI: 10.1111/joa.14243

Spear JK, Kuo S, Gidmark NJ, Granatosky MC, Laird MF, Tsegai ZJ, Ward CV, Ross CF. 2025. Comparison of ankle dorsiflexion using XROMM and external angular kinematics in a quadrupedally walking macaque Journal of Experimental Biology. DOI: 10.1242/jeb.251088

Natahi S, Neubauer S, Tsegai ZJ, Hublin J-J, Gunz P. Can cranial vault thickness explain endocranial shape differences between Neanderthals and present-day humans? 2025. Journal of Human Evolution 204:103683. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103683

Swan KR, Tsegai ZJ, Ives R, Humphrey LT. 2025. Restructuring of cortical bone during growth and locomotor development of wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus). American Journal of Biological Anthropology 186: e25045. DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.25045

2024

Lukova A, Dunmore CJ, Tsegai ZJ, Bachmann S, Synek A and Skinner MM. 2024. Technical Note: Does scan resolution or downsampling impact the analysis of trabecular bone architecture? American Journal of Biological Anthropology e25023. DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.25023

Syeda SM, Tsegai ZJ, Cazenave M, Skinner MM, Kivell TL. 2024.Cortical bone architecture of hominid intermediate phalanges reveals functional signals of locomotion and manipulation. American Journal of Biological Anthropology 184(1), e24902. DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24902

2023

Syeda SM, Tsegai ZJ, Cazenave M, Skinner MM, Kivell TL. 2023. Cortical bone distribution of the proximal phalanges in great apes and its implications for reconstruction of manual behaviours. Journal of Anatomy 243, 707–728. DOI: 10.1111/joa.13918

2022

Deckers K, Tsegai ZJ, Skinner MM, Zeininger A, Kivell TL. 2022. Ontogenetic changes to metacarpal trabecular bone in mountain and western lowland gorillas. Journal of Anatomy. 241(1):82-100. DOI: 10.1111/joa.13630

2019

Colombo, A., Stephens, N. B., Tsegai, Z. J., Bettuzzi, M., Morigi, N. B., Belcastro, M. G., & Hublin, J.-J. 2019. Trabecular analysis of the distal radial metaphysis during the acquisition of crawling and bipedal walking in childhood: A preliminary study. BMSAP, 31(1-2), 43-51.

2018

Tsegai, Z. J., Skinner, M. M., Pahr, D. H., Hublin, J.-J., & Kivell, T. L. (2018). Ontogeny and variability of trabecular bone in the chimpanzee humerus, femur and tibia. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 167(4), 713-736.

Tsegai, Z. J., Skinner, M. M., Pahr, D. H., Hublin, J.-J., & Kivell, T. L. 2018. Systemic patterns of trabecular bone across the human and chimpanzee skeleton. Journal of Anatomy, 232(4), 641-656.

2017

Tsegai, Z. J., Skinner, M. M., Gee, A. H., Pahr, D. H., Treece, G. M., Hublin, J.-J., & Kivell, T. L. (2017). Trabecular and cortical bone structure of the talus and distal tibia in Pan and Homo. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 163(4), 784-805.

Tsegai, Z. J., Stephens, N. B., Treece, G. M., Skinner, M. M., Kivell, T. L., & Gee, A. H. 2017. Cortical bone mapping: An application to hand and foot bones in hominoids. Comptes Rendus Palevol, 16(5-6), 690-701.

2015

Skinner, M. M., Stephens, N. B., Tsegai, Z. J., Foote, A. C., Nguyen, H. N., Gross, T., Pahr, D. H., Hublin, J.-J., & Kivell, T. L. 2015. Human-like hand use in Australopithecus africanus. Science, 347(6220), 395-399.

Skinner, M. M., Stephens, N. B., Tsegai, Z. J., Foote, A. C., Nguyen, H. N., Gross, T., Pahr, D. H., Hublin, J.-J., & Kivell, T. L. 2015. Response to Comment on “Human-like hand use in Australopithecus africanus”. Science Magazine, 348(6239), 1101 -1101.

2013

Tsegai, Z. J., Kivell, T. L., Gross, T., Nguyen, H. N., Pahr, D. H., Smaers, J. B., & Skinner, M. M. 2013. Trabecular bone structure correlates with hand posture and use in hominoids. PLoS One, 8(11): e78781.

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