SML > Research People > John Hutchinson
Prof. John R Hutchinson
Professor of Evolutionary Biomechanics
I'm a biologist originally from the USA who now resides in the UK as a dual citizen. I received my BS degree in Zoology at the University of Wisconsin in 1993, then obtained my PhD in Integrative Biology at the University of California with Kevin Padian in 2001, and rounded out my training with a two-year National Science Foundation bioinformatics Post Doc at the Biomechanical Engineering Division of Stanford University with Scott Delp.
I started at the RVC as a Lecturer in Evolutionary Biomechanics in 2003 in the Department of Veterinary Basic Sciences and was promoted to Reader in 2008, then Professor in 2011. My interests are in the evolutionary biomechanics of locomotion, especially in large terrestrial vertebrates. I've studied birds, extinct dinosaurs and their relatives, elephants, and crocodiles. See the sidebar for more about my research, team, publications and external collaborations/memberships.
I am an Associate Editor for Proceedings of the Royal Society B (Biological Sciences), the new open access journal PeerJ, and ISRN Evolutionary Biology journals. From September 2012-2013 I am a Senior Research Fellow funded by the Royal Society Leverhulme Trust. I have won the Society for Vertebrate Paleontology's Romer Prize (2000), am an elected Fellow of the Linnean Society and Society of Biology, and was awarded the Charles Darwin lecture at the British Science Festival in 2012 as well as the RCVS Share Jones Lecture in Veterinary Anatomy in 2011. I was an external examiner for the University of Manchester's MRes programme in Biomechanics, and frequently advise my own MSc students in the RVC's Wild Animal Biology programme, or can supervise MRes projects (contact me to discuss).
Research Projects
My team's current research projects include:
- The biomechanics and pathology of mammalian feet (story here).
- The locomotor biomechanics and ontogeny of chickens (story here); also emus and other birds.
- The evolution of terrestrial locomotion in early tetrapods (stories here and here; podcast here).
- Locomotor evolution in dinosaurs (including Tyrannosaurus), crocodiles, elephants and other groups (dinosaur example here and here). See us in action with our research in this video!
- The evolution and biomechanics of sesamoid (tendon-anchoring) bones in vertebrate limbs. More information here.
and much more-- read about my research interests (including web pages on our past projects).
I am earnestly and vigorously dedicated to training and developing the talents of young scientists to do superb research and further whatever their career goals may be. I welcome researchers from the EU or internationally to come join my dynamic team -- if interested, contact me to discuss funding opportunities!
NOW AVAILABLE: 3-year Biomechanics & Imaging Techician post w/me; details here (deadline to apply 8 May; must start by 1 July; EU/EEA applicants only)
Phone: +44 (0) 1707 666 313 E-mail: jrhutch@rvc.ac.uk or jhutchinson@rvc.ac.uk
Public Engagement with Science Activities
Science communication is a major priority for my team's work-- science is fun, inspiring, and vital to society --and we like to share the joy! I use Twitter (@JohnRHutchinson) and my personal blog "What's in John's Freezer?" to help further this goal. Additionally, my team's research is frequently featured in the international media, having been covered in hundreds of print/web stories since ~2002.
I was a consultant on Theropod Biomechanics at the American Museum of Natural History's "Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries" (12 May 2005-January 2006) exhibit, now travelling to other museums.
I am the Chief Paleontology Advisor for the wonderfully interactive "Be the Dinosaur" exhibit currently touring museums in the USA: www.bethedinosaur.com
I have been featured in eight natural history/science TV documentaries such as the award-winning "Inside Nature's Giants" (Channel 4, UK, 2009; elephant); "Raw Anatomy" (National Geographic Channel, 2009; crocodile, elephant), "Dino Gangs" (Channel 4, UK, 2011), "Evolutions" (National Geographic, 2008), "T. rex: Warrior or Wimp?" (BBC Horizon, 2004), several episodes of Discovery Channel-Canada's "Daily Planet", and other programmes worldwide, in addition to official consultant work for other documentaries.
Publications
See my Publications page. Also see my pages on Academia.edu, Google Scholar, ResearchGate, and Biomed Experts, my image collection on Pinterest, and videos on Youtube.