Milena Shattuck

Dr. Milena Shattuck is a doctoral lecturer in the Department of Anthropology. She teaches the Human Biology Senior Capstone and serves as an advisor to human biology majors.

As a biological anthropologist interested in understanding human evolution using multiple perspectives, Dr. Shattuck’s main focus has been genetics, particularly as it relates to the brain and behavioral evolution. She has also participated in collaborative research using behavior, endocrinology, morphology, life history and cultural anthropology to better understand human biology. Some of Dr. Shattuck’s research on human evolution has been featured in leading publications such as the American Journal of Physical Anthropology and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Dr. Shattuck received her BS and BA in biology and biological anthropology from the University of California. She later obtained her PhD in anthropology from the University of Illinois. After graduating, Dr. Shattuck worked as a visiting assistant professor at Duke University for the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology before moving to New York and working as an adjunct for both New York University and Hunter College. She became a doctoral lecturer for human biology in the Department of Anthropology in 2017.

• University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (PhD)
• University of California, San Diego (BS)
• University of California, San Diego (BA)

• Williams SA, Spear JK, Petrullo LA, Goldstein DM, Lee AB, Peterson AL, Miano DA, Kaczmarek EB, Shattuck MR. 2019. “Increased variation in the numbers of presacral vertebrae in suspensory mammals.” Nature Ecology and Evolution 3: 949-956.
• DeCasien AR, Thompson N, Shattuck MR, Williams SA. 2018. “Encephalization and longevity evolved in a correlated fashion in Euarchontoglires but not in other mammals.” Evolution 72: 2617-2631.
• Shattuck MR, Satkoski J, Deinard A, Tito R, Smith DG, and Malhi RS. 2014. “The evolutionary history of SLC6A4 and the role of plasticity.” American Journal of Physical Anthropology 153: 605-616.
• Shattuck MR, Satkoski J, Deinard A, Tito R, Smith DG, Melnick DJ, and Malhi RS. 2014. “Patterns of genetic variation and the role of selection in HTR1A and HTR1B in macaques (Macaca).” BMC Genetics 15: 116.
• Shattuck MR and Williams SA. 2010. “Arboreality has allowed for the evolution of increased longevity in mammals.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 107: 4635-4639.

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