Brigitte Demes
Professor Emerita
PhD Biology, University of Bochum (Germany), 1982
Habilitation Anatomy, University of Bochum (Germany), 1989
Email: brigitte.demes@stonybrook.edu
Research: Biomechanics and functional morphology, kinematics and kinetics of primate locomotion, influence of body size on locomotion and the structure of the musculoskeletal system, long bone loading patterns and osteogenetic responses.
Dr. Demes' primary research interest is the interaction between function and form in the primate locomotor system which she studies using methods of biomechanics and functional morphology. In the Stony Brook Primate Locomotion Laboratory she collects three-dimensional kinematics and substrate reaction force data and uses them to characterize the functional demands of gaits on the musculoskeletal system of monkeys, apes, and humans. Current research addresses the facultative bipedal locomotion of nonhuman primates (chimpanzees) with the goal of better understanding the evolutionary changes related to the adoption of habitual bipedal posture and gait in early hominins.
Recent Graduates:
Ian Wallace, Nicholas Holowka, Nathan Thompson
Teaching: Dr. Demes teaches human gross anatomy to professional students in the Health Sciences. She is involved in graduate student training in the Doctoral Programs in Anatomical Sciences and Anthropological Sciences. She also contributes to graduate and undergraduate courses in Anatomical Sciences and Anthropological Sciences, with a focus on biomechanics and functional morphology as well as neuroanatomy.
