Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Justin W. Adams, PhD is a Senior Lecturer in the Centre for Human Anatomy Education of the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology. Since 2003, Dr Adams has led fieldwork and faunal analysis at multiple sites in and around the Cradle of Humankind UNESCO World Heritage Site. His ongoing research projects and collaborations address outstanding questions on the palaeobiology of Pliocene and early Pleistocene South African mammalian faunas and the taphonomy and palaeoecology of palaeocave sites. His Integrated Morphology and Palaeontology lab brings together comparative methods and advanced 3D imaging resources to the study of living and fossil mammal anatomy, with an increasing focus on Australian marsupial adaptation and evolution.
Related Links:
- Research Web Page: http://sapalaeo.com/
Research interests
Neogene and Quarternary mammal palaeontology and evolution, Australian marsupial anatomy and evolution, South African faunal palaeoecology and taphonomy, human and comparative anatomy, comparative methods, imaging studies, biochronology
External positions
Research Associate, University of Johannesburg
1 Jan 2017 → …
Research area keywords
- Comparative mammalian anatomy
- Neogene mammal palaeontology
- Comparative methods
- Imaging studies
- Biochronology
- Palaeoecology
- Taphonomy
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 1 No Poverty -
SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being -
SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy -
SDG 14 Life Below Water
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or
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The origins of our direct ancestor Homo erectus and its contemporaries
Herries, A. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Adams, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Leece, A. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Braga, J. (Partner Investigator (PI)), Caruana, S. (Partner Investigator (PI)), Duval, M. (Partner Investigator (PI)) & Strait, D. S. (Partner Investigator (PI))
31/10/25 → 30/10/29
Project: Research
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Marsupial development on a megafaunal scale: seasonal and developmental records in the teeth of wombats and diprotodons
Evans, A. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Parker, W. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Adams, J. (Chief Investigator (CI))
21/02/20 → 24/02/20
Project: Research
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Marsupial development on a megafaunal scale – evolutionary trends in the life history of macropods
Evans, A. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Parker, W. (Chief Investigator (CI)), de Jonge, M. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Adams, J. (Chief Investigator (CI))
14/02/19 → 17/02/19
Project: Research
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Evolving landscapes of our early South African ancestors
Herries, A. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Adams, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Strait, D. S. (Partner Investigator (PI)), Fink, D. (Partner Investigator (PI)), Joannes-Boyau, R. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Menter, C. G. (Partner Investigator (PI)) & Birkett-Rees, J. (Chief Investigator (CI))
6/10/17 → 31/12/20
Project: Research
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Revealing the Biology of Fossil Megafauna using Tooth XFM Imaging
Evans, A. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Adams, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Fitzgerald, E. (Chief Investigator (CI))
28/07/17 → 30/07/17
Project: Research
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An immature toothed mysticete from the Oligocene of Australia and insights into mammalodontid (Cetacea: Mysticeti) morphology, systematics, and ontogeny
Duncan, R. J., Rule, J. P., Park, T., Evans, A. R., Adams, J. W. & Fitzgerald, E. M. G., Aug 2025, In: Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 204, 4, 45 p., zlaf090.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access1 Link opens in a new tab Citation (Scopus) -
Challenges of access to cadavers in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) for undergraduate medical teaching: a review and potential solutions in the form of 3D printed replicas
McMenamin, P. G., Costello, L. F., Quayle, M. R., Bertram, J. F., Kaka, A., Tefuarani, N. & Adams, J. W., Dec 2025, In: 3D Printing in Medicine. 11, 1, 10 p., 28.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access16 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus) -
Design and Prototyping of a Novel Triple Lumen Photo-Angioplasty Device: Lumi-Solve-T
Tria, A., Dharma, A., Spiegel, L., Rodda, A. E., Allada, A., Sluka, P., Menon, A. S., Prabaharan, E., Wettesinghe, P. V., Adams, J. W., Spanger, M. & Dear, A. E., 2025, In: Cardiovascular Engineering and Technology. 16, p. 211–221 11 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
1 Link opens in a new tab Citation (Scopus) -
Functional optimality underpins the repeated evolution of the extreme “saber-tooth” morphology
Pollock, T. I., Deakin, W. J., Chatar, N., Milla Carmona, P. S., Rovinsky, D. S., Panagiotopoulou, O., Parker, W. M. G., Adams, J. W., Hocking, D. P., Donoghue, P. C. J., Rayfield, E. J. & Evans, A. R., 3 Feb 2025, In: Current Biology. 35, 3, p. 455-467.e6 20 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access10 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus) -
Synchrotron X-ray Fluorescence Microscopy Reveals Trace Elemental Indicators of Life History in Marsupial Teeth
Parker, W. M. G., Adams, J. W., Hocking, D. P., Fitzgerald, E. M. G., Shaw, G., Renfree, M. B. & Evans, A. R., 6 Jan 2025, In: Biological Trace Element Research. 203, p. 4607–4619 13 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access1 Link opens in a new tab Citation (Scopus)
Prizes
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Monash BDI Awards for Outstanding Achievement
Adams, J. (Recipient) & Fiorenza, L. (Recipient), 2019
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Poster Presentation Award
Richards, H. (Recipient), Adams, J. (Recipient) & Evans, A. (Recipient), Sept 2017
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Press/Media
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Early humans breastfed their young for a year, study says
Joannes-Boyau, R., Moffat, I., Adams, J., Fiorenza, L. & Evans, A.
15/07/19 → 16/07/19
18 items of Media coverage, 2 Media contributions
Press/Media: Article/Feature