The Rohlf Medal for Excellence in Morphometric Methods and Applications

About the Rohlf Medal

The Rohlf Medal for Excellence in Morphometric Methods and Applications was established in 2006 by the family and friends of F. James Rohlf to mark his 70th birthday. He has been a longtime Stony Brook University faculty member and is currently Emeritus Distinguished Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolution, and Research Professor in the Department of Anthropology.

Recipients of the Rohlf Medal are recognized for excellence in their sustained body of work on the development of new morphometric methods or for their applications in the biomedical sciences, including evolutionary biology, population biology, biological anthropology, developmental biology, molecular structure, molecular geometry and medicine.

Rohlf Medal Recipients

Fred L. Bookstein

The first presentation of the Rohlf Medal was made to Fred L. Bookstein (University of Vienna and University of Washington) on October 24, 2011 at Stony Brook University. The title of his lecture was "Biology and Mathematical Imagination: the Meaning of Morphometrics".

A VIDEO OF DR. BOOKSTEIN'S LECTURE

Paul O'Higgins

The second presentation was made to Paul O'Higgins (Centre for Anatomical and Human Sciences, Hull York Medical School, England) on October 24, 2013. The title of his lecture was "The measure of things: pattern, process and morphometry".

A VIDEO OF DR. O'HIGGINS' LECTURE

Benedikt Hallgrímsson

The 2015 recipient was Benedikt Hallgrímsson (University of Calgary). The title of his presentation on October 26th was "Morphometrics and the Middle-Out Approach to Complex Traits".

A VIDEO OF DR. HALLGRÍMSSON'S LECTURE

Dennis Slice

The fourth presentation was made to Dennis Slice (Florida State University) on October 24, 2017. The title of his lecture was "An Unexpected Journey: A Curious Career in Shape Analysis".

A VIDEO OF DR. SLICE'S LECTURE

Dean C. Adams

The 2019 presentation was made to Dean C. Adams (Iowa State University) on October 24, 2019. The title of his lecture was "Morphometrics, Macroevolution, and an Effect Size Measure for Multivariate Data".

A VIDEO OF DR. ADAMS' LECTURE

Joan T. Richstmeier

The 2021 presentation was made to Joan T. Richtsmeier (Pennsylvania State University) on October 25, 2021. The title of her lecture was "Morphology as Mechanism".

A VIDEO OF DR. RICHTSMEIER'S LECTURE

Phillipp Mitteroecker

The 2023 presentation was made to Philipp Mitteroecker (University of Vienna) on October 24, 2023. The title of his lecture was "The (Mis)Measure of Human Evolution".

A VIDEO OF DR. MITTEROECKER'S LECTURE

P. David Polly

The 2025 presentation was made to P. David Polly, (Indiana University) on October 22, 2025. The title of his lecture was "Paths Through Morphospace: Morphometrics, Phylogenetics, and Evolution".

A RECREATION OF DR. POLLY'S LECTURE