Welcome!

To help clarify the complicated relationship between genotype and phenotype in the skeleton, I study gene regulation in skeletal tissues and cells from human and nonhuman primates.

Who Am I?

​I am a Group Leader in the Department of Primate Behavior and Evolution at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, interested in primate functional genomics, complex trait evolution, and skeletal development and maintenance. 

Using laboratory and computational approaches, my group's research aims to identify and functionally characterize gene regulation variation in human and nonhuman primate skeletal cells from primary tissues and in vitro cell culture systems.

Specific areas of research that I focus on include:

1. Skeletal Gene Regulation Among Primates
2. Gene-by-Environment Interactions in the Skeleton
3. Evolutionary Medicine in Skeletal Systems

Background

After finishing high school in the Midwest, I was relatively naïve about evolution. Since then, I have traveled back-and-forth across the USA, learning more about the complex relationship between molecular- and macro-evolution and working to unravel the connection between gene regulation and skeletal phenotypes in primates. Now, I am in Germany working to continue expanding the field of primate functional genomics – there’s still so much to discover!

Follow me on twitter @gahousman, or check out my profiles on Research Gate, Vitae, Academia, or LinkedIn.