Jeffrey H. Schwartz

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Jeffrey H. Schwartz (born March 6, 1948) is an American physical anthropologist and professor emeritus at the University of Pittsburgh. He studies evolution, especially how primates started and diversified, and he examines human, primate, and fossil skeletons, focusing on teeth and bones. He has done fieldwork and museum research around the world.

In the updated edition of The Red Ape: Orangutans and Human Origins, he argues that orangutans are more similar to humans in shape than any other great ape. He contributed to the George Washington wax figure project, making models from skull measurements; the figures were shown at Mount Vernon and toured the country. Since 1998 he has worked as a forensic anthropology consultant for the Allegheny County coroner’s and Medical Examiner’s offices. In 2007 he was elected President of the World Academy of Art and Science for five years (one year as president-elect), the first time the organization chose a president by election rather than appointment.

Schwartz earned his BA from Columbia College in 1969 and his PhD from Columbia University in 1974. He is the son of Jack Schwartz, a physician who researched quinine in World War II, and Lillian Schwartz, an early computer-imaging artist. He is married to poet Lynn Emanuel and lives in Pittsburgh. He has appeared in the documentary The Trouble with Atheism and was featured on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.