Department of Anthropology

Penn State University

Timothy M. Ryan

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR of anthropology, geosciences,
and information sciences and technology

Tim Ryan Office: 322 Carpenter Building
Telephone: Office (814) 865-1531; Fax: (814) 863-1474
Lab in Academic Activities Building: (814) 865-3806/865-8406
Email: tmr21@psu.edu

Curriculum Vitae
 
Center for Quantitative Imaging

EDUCATION:

  • B.A., University of New Orleans, 1994
  • M.A., University of Texas at Austin, 1997
  • Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin, 2001

AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION:

Functional morphology, bone biomechanics, primate locomotion, primate and human evolution, high-resolution computed tomography, three-dimensional scientific visualization.

RESEARCH ACTIVITIES AND INTERESTS:

Dr. Ryan is a paleoanthropologist and primate functional morphologist with a specific focus on evolutionary locomotor anatomy. He is particularly interested the structure, function, and development of trabecular bone, its relationship to musculoskeletal loading, and its application to behavioral reconstruction of fossil primates and past human populations. Dr. Ryan is currently working on projects to determine the interspecific scaling patterns of trabecular structure, to characterize the ontogenetic development of the human postcranial skeleton following the onset of unassisted bipedal walking, and to model strain patterns in the femur under various loading conditions.

FIELDWORK:

Magnetostratigraphy and paleontology of the Eocene Yuanqu Formation, China; paleontology of the Oligocene Chilga Formation, Ethiopia; magnetostratigraphy of the Eocene Kishenehn Formation, Montana; paleontology of the Paleocene Washakie Basin, Wyoming.

COURSES TAUGHT:

RECENT PUBLICATIONS:

  • Welker, K., J. Orkin, and T. M. Ryan. (2009) Analysis of intra-individual and inter-sex variation in semi-circular canal dimensions using high-resolution x-ray computed tomography. Journal of Anatomy 215:444-451.
  • Ryan, T. M., M. Colbert, R.A. Ketcham, and C.J. Vinyard.  (2010) Trabecular bone structure in the mandibular condyle of gouging and non-gouging platyrrhines.  American Journal of Physical Anthropology 141:583–593.
  • Ryan, T. M. and A. Walker (2010) Trabecular bone structure in the humeral and femoral heads of anthropoid primates. Anatomical Record 293:719–729.
  • Silcox, M.T., J.I. Bloch, D.M. Boyer, M. Godinot, T. M. Ryan, F. Spoor, and A. Walker. (2009) The semicircular canal system in early primates and euprimates. Journal of Human Evolution 56:315-327.
  • Ryan, T.M., D.A. Burney, L.R. Godfrey, U.B. Göhlich, W.L. Jungers, N. Vasey, Ramilisonina, A. Walker, G.W. Weber. (2008) A reconstruction of the Vienna skull of Hadropithecus stenognathus. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. USA 105:10699-10702.
  • Jeffery, N., T. M. Ryan and F. Spoor. (2008) The primate subarcuate fossa and its relationship to the semicircular canals part II: adult interspecific variations. Journal of Human Evolution 55:326-339.
  • Walker, A., T. M. Ryan, M.T. Silcox, E. Simons, F. Spoor. (2008) The semicircular canal system and locomotion: the case of extinct lemuroids and lorisoids. Evolutionary Anthropology 17:135-145.
  • Seiffert, E.R., E.L. Simons, T. M. Ryan, T.M. Bown, and Y. Attia. (2007) New remains of Eocene and Oligocene Afrosoricida (Afrotheria) from Egypt, with implications for the origin(s) of afrosoricid zalambdodonty. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 27:963-972.
  • Spoor, F., T. Garland Jr., G. Krovitz, T. M. Ryan, M.T. Silcox, and A. Walker. (2007) The primate semicircular canal system and locomotion. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 104:10808-10812.
  • Fraser, N.E., P. E. Olsen, A.C. Dooley, and T.M. Ryan. (2007)   A new gliding tetrapod (Diapsida: ?Archosauromorpha) from the Upper Triassic (Carnian) of Virginia. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 27:261-265.
  • Simons, E.L., E.R. Seiffert, T.M. Ryan, and Y. Attia. (2007) A remarkable female cranium of the early Oligocene anthropoid Aegyptopithecus zeuxis (Catarrhini, Propliopithecidae). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 104:8731-8736.
  • Parsons, T., T. M. Ryan, R.H. Reeves, and J. Richtsmeier. (2007) Micro-structure of trabecular bone in a mouse model for Down syndrome. The Anatomical Record 290:414-421.
  • Vinyard, C. J. and T. M. Ryan. (2006) Cross-sectional bone distribution in the mandibles of gouging and non-gouging platyrrhines. International Journal of Primatology 27:1461-1490.
  • Ryan, T. M. and G.E. Krovitz. (2006) Trabecular bone ontogeny in the human proximal femur. Journal of Human Evolution 51:591-602.
  • Ryan, T.M. and G.R. Milner. (2006) Osteological applications of high-resolution computed tomography: A prehistoric arrow injury. Journal of Archaeological Science 33:871-879.
  • Maga, M., J. Kappelman, T.M. Ryan, and R.A. Ketcham. (2006) The calcaneal trabecular microarchitecture of extant large bodied hominoids. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 129:410-417.
  • Seiffert, E.R., E.L. Simons, T.M. Ryan, and Y. Attia. (2005) Additional remains of Wadilemur elegans, a primitive stem galagid from the late Eocene of Egypt. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. 102:11396-11401.
  • Ryan, T. M. and R. A. Ketcham. (2005) The angular orientation of trabecular bone in the femoral head and its relationship to hip joint loads in leaping primates. Journal of Morphology 265:249-263.
  • Ryan, T. M. and B. van Rietbergen. (2005) Mechanical significance of femoral head trabecular bone structure in Loris and Galago evaluated using micromechanical finite element models. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 126:82-96.
  • Ketcham, R. A. and T. M. Ryan. (2004) Quantification of anisotropy in trabecular bone. Journal of Microscopy 213:158-171.
  • Kappelman, J., D. T. Rasmussen, W. J. Sanders, M. Feseha, T. Bown, P. Copeland, J. Crabaugh, J. Fleagle, M. Glantz, A. Gordon, B. Jacobs, M. Maga, K. Muldoon, A. Pan, L. Pyne, B. Richmond, T. Ryan, E. R. Seiffert, S. Sen, L. Todd, M. C. Wiemann, A. Winkler. (2003) Oligocene mammals from Ethiopia and faunal exchange between Afro-Arabia and Eurasia. Nature 426:549-552
  • Ryan, T. M. and R. A. Ketcham. (2002) Femoral head trabecular bone structure in two omomyid primates. Journal of Human Evolution 43:241-263.
  • Ryan, T. M. and R. A. Ketcham. (2002) The three-dimensional structure of trabecular bone in the femoral head of strepsirrhine primates. Journal of Human Evolution 43:1-26.
  • Fajardo, R. J., T. M. Ryan, and J. Kappelman. (2002) Assessing the accuracy of high-resolution X-ray computed tomography of primate trabecular bone by comparisons with histological sections. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 118:1-10.