Alexandra Schuh
Postdoc
Abteilung für Menschliche Ursprünge
Max-Planck-Institut für evolutionäre Anthropologie
Deutscher Platz 6
04103 Leipzig
Telefon: +49 (0) 341 3550 356
E-Mail:
alexandra_schuh@[>>> Please remove the text! <<<]eva.mpg.de
Research Interests
- Facial evolution
- Ontogeny
- Neanderthals
- Cellular process of bone growth (bone modelling)
- Genetic underpinning of bone modelling
Curriculum vitae
Career & Education
| July 2023-present | Postdoctoral researcher, Department of Human Origins, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany |
| Jan. 2022-June 2023 | Fyssen postdoctoral fellow, PACEA, UMR 5199, University of Bordeaux, France |
| May 2016-Nov. 2020 | Ph.D. candidate, Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany |
| 2012-2014 | MA in Biological Anthropology and Prehistory, University of Bordeaux, France |
| 2009-2012 | BA in Cellular Biology and Physiology 2009-2011: University of Strasbourg, France 2011-2012: International exchange with the University of Montreal, Canada |
Research experience
Skills
| 3D Imaging | Software: Geomagic, Viewbox, Avizo, Landmark app. Equipment: MicroScribe, NextEngine, Arctec Space Spider, Diondo d3 high-resolution micro-CT |
| Geometric morphometrics | Software: RStudio, MorphoJ |
| Bone surface histology | Software: ImageJ |
| Equipment: | SmartZoom 5 digital microscope; Nanofocus confocal microscope |
Complementary trainings
| Mai-June 2020 | Bone histology – virtual sessions Supervisor: Miszkiewicz J. |
| May 2017 | Advanced R programming Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany Supervisor: Stephens C. |
| May 2016 | Advanced data visualisation with R University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany Supervisor: Neumann C. |
| March 2016 | 1. Non-human primate behaviour and anatomy, human evolution 2. Non-human primates and humans from today: interactions and conservation National Museum of Natural history, Paris, France Supervisors: Krief S., Maille A. |
| April 2015 | Morphometry and forms analysis National Museum of Natural history, Paris, France Supervisor: Baylac M. |
| March/April 2013 | Analyses and methods in Palaeoanthropology National Museum of Natural history, Paris, France Supervisors: Balzeau A., Détroit F., Friess M. |
| Sept.-Dec. 2011 | Histological analysis of facial nerves in foetal opossums University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada Supervisor: Pflieger J.F. |
Internships
| May 2015 | Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany Title: Bone modeling of the facial skeleton in mice Supervisors: Freidline S., Kupczik K. |
| July 2013 | Leverhulme Center for Human Evolutionary Studies, Cambridge, UK Title: The use of geometric morphometrics in human evolution Supervisors: Mounier A., Mirazón-Lahr M. |
| Mai 2012 | National Museum of Natural history, Paris, France Title: Study of the inner ear of the la Chapelle-aux-Saints Neanderthal Supervisor: Balzeau A. |
Fieldwork
| June 2015 | Grotte de Sirogne, Rocamadour, France. Middle Palaeolithic. Dir.: P. Bayle |
| July 2014 | La Colline du Château, Nice, France. Middle Age. Dir. : A. Civetta |
| June 2013 | La Caune de l'Arago, Tautavel, France. Middle Palaeolithic. Dir.: A.-m. Moigne Amelestoy, Pyrénées Atlantiques, France. Bronze Age. Dir.: P. Courtaud |
Research awards & funding
| 2023 | FACCTS program – 25 000 $ Evolution of the human skull: exploring gracilization and robusticity of the lower jaw in humans and chimpanzees |
| 2022 | Grand Projet de Recherche HUMAN PAST – 5755 € Département des Sciences Archéologiques – 2050 € Developmental integration between the face and the basicranium: a cellular perspective (DevCel) |
| 2021 | Fyssen Foundation – 63090 € Postdoctoral project |
| 2016 | Poster prize, 1841st Annual meetings of the Anthropological Society of Paris, Lyon, France |
Languages
- French – native language
- English – fluent
- German – basics
Projects & Partners
- Facial Expressions: decoding primate skull development
P. Gunz, G. Housman - Evolution of the human skull: exploring gracilization and robusticity of the lower jaw in humans and chimpanzees
S. Freidline, Z. Tsegai, S. Natahi - DevCel
Y. Heuze
Publications
2025
Freidline, S. E., Hubbart, M., Shipman, C., Burgos, N., Villa, C., & Schuh, A. (2025). Shaping the human face: Periosteal bone modeling across ontogeny (advance online). The Anatomical Record. |
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Schuh, A., Gunz, P., Villa, C., Maureille, B., Toussaint, M., Abrams, G., Hublin, J.-J., & Freidline, S. E. (2025). Human midfacial growth pattern differs from that of Neanderthals and chimpanzees (advance online). Journal of Human Evolution, 202: 103667. |
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Natahi, S., Tsegai, Z. J., Schuh, A., & Freidline, S. E. (2025). Exploring facial gracilization through an integrated approach of mandibular ontogeny: preliminary results from chimpanzees = Explorer la gracilité morphologique de la face par le biais d’une approche intégrée de l’ontogenie mandibulaire: résultats préliminaires chez le chimpanzé. Bulletins et mémoires de la société d’anthropologie de Paris, 2025(37(S)). |
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Schuh, A., Freidline, S. F., & Gunz, P. (2025). New insights into facial bone modeling patterns of Australopithecus sediba = Nouvelles perspectives sur les patrons de modelage osseux de la face chez Australopithecus sediba. Bulletins et mémoires de la société d’anthropologie de Paris, 2025(37(S)). |
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Lequin, M., Colard, T., Colombo, A., Le Cabec, A., Remy, F., & Schuh, A. (2025). Investigating development in human evolution: Specificities, challenges, and opportunities. Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews, 34(1). |
Open Access2024
Lequin, M., Colard, T., Colombo, A., Heuzé, Y., Le Cabec, A., Remy, F., & Schuh, A. (2024). Quelle place pour la biologie du développement dans la paléoanthropologie? Bulletins et mémoires de la Société d’Anthropologie de Paris BMSAP, 36(Suppl). |
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Schuh, A., Heuzé, Y., Gunz, P., Berthaume, M. A., Shaw, C. N., Hublin, J.-J., & Freidline, S. E. (2024). A shared pattern of midfacial bone modelling in hominids suggests deep evolutionary roots for human facial morphogenesis. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 291. |
2023
Gicqueau, A., Schuh, A., Henrion, J., Viola, B., Partiot, C., Guillon, M., Golovanova, L., Doronichev, V., Gunz, P., Hublin, J.-J., & Maureille, B. (2023). Anatomically modern human in the Châtelperronian hominin collection from the Grotte du Renne (Arcy-sur-Cure, Northeast France). Scientific Reports, 13(1): 12682. |
2021
Schuh, A. (2021). Quantification of maxillary ontogenetic processes using surface histology and geometric morphometrics. PhD Thesis, Universität Leipzig, Leipzig. |
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Schuh, A., Kupczik, K., Gunz, P., Hublin, J.-J., & Freidline, S. E. (2021). Quantifying maxillary development in chimpanzees and humans: an analysis of prognathism and orthognathism at the morphological and microscopic scales. Journal of Human Evolution, 157: 103031. |
2020
Schuh, A., Gunz, P., Villa, C., Kupczik, K., Hublin, J.-J., & Freidline, S. E. (2020). Intraspecific variability in human maxillary bone modeling patterns during ontogeny. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 137, 655-670. |
2019
Schuh, A., Kupczik, K., Gunz, P., Hublin, J.-J., & Freidline, S. E. (2019). Ontogeny of the human maxilla: A study of intra-population variability combining surface bone histology and geometric morphometrics. Journal of Anatomy, 235(2), 233-245. |
2018
Schuh, A., & Freidline-Stimman, S. (2018). Bone modeling patterns in the midface of modern humans during ontogeny: A study of intraspecific variability. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 165(S66), 245-246. |
2017
Schuh, A., Dutailly, B., Coutinho Nogueira, D., Santos, F., Arensburg, B., Vandermeersch, B., Coqueugniot, H., & Tillier, A.-M. (2017). La mandibule de l’adulte Qafzeh 25 (Paléolithique moyen, Basse Galilée). Reconstruction virtuelle 3D et analyse morphométrique. Paleorient, 43(1), 49-59. |
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Schuh, A., Kupczik, K., & Freidline, S. E. (2017). Ontogeny of the midface in Homo sapiens. In Proceedings of the European Society for the study of Human Evolution (PESHE) (6, pp. 173). |
2016
Schuh, A., Dutailly, B., Coqueugniot, H., Santos, F., Coutinho Nogueira, D., Arensburg, B., Vandermeersch, B., & Tillier, A.-M. (2016). La mandibule de l’adulte Qafzeh 25 (Paléolithique moyen, Basse Galilée) et sa reconstruction virtuelle 3D. Implications anthropologiques. Poster presented at 1841e journées de la Société d’Anthropologie de Paris, Lyon. |