michel.brunet[at]univ-poitiers.fr
Main research
Emergence and evolutionary history of primates:
- From the earliest representatives of the human lineage to the appearance of the genus Homo;
- In search of fossil gorillas and chimpanzees;
- The Southern Lands and the ancestors of New World monkeys.”
Study workshops
A significant part of this research focuses on the earliest representatives of humanity, particularly their occurrence in Central Africa (Chad).
Their presence in a trans-Saharan biogeographical province leads me to search for their traces in North Africa (Libya).
I also seek evidence of the evolution of great apes during the Miocene in Cameroon, and of their Paleogene ancestors in Libya.
Finally, I am interested in the evolution of New World monkeys and their dispersal from the Old World via Africa, by searching for their fossil remains in Chilean Patagonia and Antarctica.
Main field site
I have led several field missions related to these research topics. In Central Africa, I notably founded and directed the Franco-Chadian (MPFT) and Franco-Cameroonian Paleontological Missions, which today form the core of my research.
