Department of Evolutionary Anthropology(Daniel Schmitt Lab)
Learn more about the Animal Locomotion Lab on our lab page.
The Duke Animal Locomotion Laboratory, led by Professor Daniel Schmitt, uses laboratory-based in-vivo techniques to study biomechanics of vertebrate locomotion with a focus on mammals in general and nonhuman primates and humans specifically. Research focuses on general functional anatomy, evolutionary aspects of limb anatomy and gait choice, the evolution of primate locomotion, and human musculoskeletal health.
The Duke Animal Locomotion Laboratory was established in the late 1990s by Daniel Schmitt and Pierre Lemelin. The initial goal of the lab was to use an experimental approach involving human and nonhuman primates to investigate the functional and evolutionary of gait in our phylogenetic order. The lab has continued that mission but also has expanded to look at animal and human models of bone and joint disease. The research in the lab has been supported by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and several foundations.
For information on research being done in the lab, postdoctoral opportunities, or opportunities for graduate study or undergraduate research please contact: Daniel Schmitt.
This slender loris was filmed for a biomechanical study (Schmitt and Lemelin 2004).