Stony Brook University’s Dr. Lawrence Martin has agreed to serve, on a full-time basis, as Director of the Turkana Basin Institute.
Martin has been at the heart of TBI activities since its creation in 2005, and has worked closely with Richard Leakey on fundraising, developing a field school, developing a self-sustaining business plan for TBI in Kenya, developing an internationally renowned series of workshops, and developing inter-institutional collaborations in education and science facilitated by TBI.
Prior to assuming his administrative role, Martin built an impressive record of both field-based and laboratory research and scholarship in physical anthropology and is regarded as one of the leading authorities on the evolution of apes and the origin of humans.
“Having been at the center of TBI’s initial phase of development,” comments Stony Brook University Provost Dennis Assanis, “Lawrence is particularly well-suited to shepherding the Institute in this next phase of expansion.”
Lawrence Martin (center) examines fossils in the Turkana Basin, along with colleagues John Fleagle (L) and Francis Kirera (R).
With the assumption of these expanded responsibilities at TBI, Dr. Martin will step aside from his current university positions as Dean of the Graduate School and as Associate Provost, effective January 19, 2012.
During his service as Graduate Dean from 1993 to 2011, Martin became nationally and internationally known for his work in graduate education and served as a member of several high-profile committees to that end. As well, he has as well served on many Stony Brook University and New York State educational task forces, and his work on the assessment of graduate program quality has been presented at numerous national and international meetings of higher education leaders. Additionally, he has served in an advisory role to the National Research Council in designing their methodology for assessment of research doctoral programs in the U.S.
