John Hawks is a world expert on human evolution and genetics. He is Chair of the Department of Anthropology and Vilas-Borghesi Distinguished Achievement Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He also serves as a visiting professor at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa.

Hawks’ research covers seven million years of human origins. His work in human genetics helped uncover the very rapid recent pace of genetic evolution with the rise of agriculture. He was one of the first to show how genes from ancient groups like the Neanderthals could make a difference in today’s people. For the last decade, he has worked with scientists and explorers in South Africa to bring to light new hominin fossils. Among the best known have come from the Rising Star cave system, where the team discovered the new species, Homo naledi in 2013. Hawks has done fieldwork in Africa, Asia and Europe, combining skeletal evidence from fossils with new information from genetics to uncover how humans evolved.

Hawks is the coauthor of two books (with Lee Berger), Almost Human, and Cave of Bones, three lecture series, and more than 100 scientific articles. His work has been featured in documentaries from PBS Nova, PBS Secrets of the Dead, National Geographic Channel, Science Channel, and the BBC. Print coverage of his work has included cover and feature articles in Discover, Scientific American, Archaeology, Science News, New Scientist, coverage in the New York Times, USA Today, Time, Der Spiegel and many others.

A powerful advocate of open science, Hawks has the mission of bringing the heritage of human ancestry to the public, both in the U.S. and internationally. His lectures, blogs, YouTube channel, and educational materials have reached millions of people worldwide. He lives in Wisconsin with his wife, Gretchen, and their family includes four adult children and their cat, Kenobi.