Cristina Gildee

​Primate Evolutionary Biomechanics Lab

As a member of PEBL, I study how skeletal form and function have evolved to adapt to mechanical and life-history demands. Using motion capture, pressure mapping, and musculoskeletal modeling, with complementary finite element analysis, I examine gait kinetics and kinematics, functional adaptation, and morphology in humans and fossil hominins. In collaboration with the Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, my work links evolutionary biomechanics to health disparities related to mobility, age, and surgical outcomes.

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Teaching and Mentorship

I teach Skeletal Adaptation, Biological Anthropology, and Survey of Anthropology at the University of Washington and Green River College. My teaching emphasizes curiosity, collaboration, and ethical reflection, creating classrooms where students from all backgrounds can see themselves as scientists. I use active, data-driven learning to help students connect human biology and culture to questions of health, evolution, and inequality. As a mentor, I guide students through all stages of research, from study design to publication, and many have gone on to present at national conferences and earn competitive fellowships. Whether at an R1 university or a community college, my goal is to model an anthropology that is collaborative, critical, and accountable to the communities it serves.

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Current Courses:

University of Washington: Autumn, 2025

BIO A 469: Skeletal Adaptation

Green River College: Autumn 2025

ANTH& 100: Survey of Anthropology

 

Service and Science Communication

As a long-time advocate for public science communication, I co-produce and co-host The Sausage of Science, the official podcast of the Human Biology Association and the American Journal of Human Biology. Through this work, I help make anthropology accessible by translating new research into engaging conversations that connect scholars, students, and the public.