edwin.de.jager[at]univ-poitiers.fr
Main research question
I am funded by the Fyssen Foundation to explore how the human brain evolved. More specifically, what was the cortical organisation of the earliest hominins, and how did key human-like brain features emerge and change over time?
Topics of study
My work investigates cortical imprint variation in fossil hominins to identify major shifts in frontal and occipital lobe organisation and reconstruct patterns of cerebral reorganisation across Australopithecus, Paranthropus, and Homo. I use high-resolution micro-CT and synchrotron imaging to extract and analyse endocasts, improving anatomical detail beyond earlier low-resolution scans and enabling reassessment of key specimens like Sahelanthropus tchadensis.
My research applies automated sulcal detection and density-mapping protocols that I developed to quantify variability and reduce the subjectivity that has long hindered palaeoneurological interpretations. Broadly, I integrate palaeontology, neuroanatomy, and computational imaging to clarify when derived human-like cortical features first appeared and how early hominins’ brains were organised.
