The Human Evolution Research Institute (HERI) at the University of Cape Town (UCT) brings together the brightest minds in the palaeosciences to investigate human evolution and the South African record of our past.

Sitting across two departments at UCT - the Department of Geological Sciences and the Department of Archaeology – HERI enables multidisciplinary research into questions of human biological and cultural evolution on many levels and across a wide time period.

Among topics of focus and investigation are: dating South Africa and Africa’s fossil records, the role of hybridisation in evolution, understanding the origins of modern human behaviour, investigating ancient genomes, and understanding how changing climates and environments shaped us.

HERI advocates for and supports research teams and practices that are socially responsible, representative of the diversity of research talent across the African continent and committed to research excellence.