Dr Emma Mbua’s expertise extends from palaeoanthropology (particularly human evolution) to palaeontology and primates. Among her most well-known research is the Kantis Palaeontological Project, with which Dr Mbua has been involved for over a decade. Her excavations at the Pliocene ‘Kantis Fossil Site’ just outside Nairobi have been awarded research funding by the Wenner-Gren Foundation (2011), the Leakey Foundation (2016), National Geographic Society, (2018) and Paleontological Scientific Trust (PAST) in 2011. Here, research has identified fossilised remains representing 29 extinct species as well as a fossilised forearm and teeth from individuals of Australopithecus afarensis. The groundbreaking significance of Mbua’s work at this site can be understood in the archaeological context of early population distribution as these fossilised remains represent the first evidence of the species’ expansion east of the Rift Valley.
While this research is impressive, it is by no means the only significant role Emma Mbua has played in African Archaeology. In 2005 she co-founded the East African Association of Palaeoanthropology and Palaeontology (EAAPP), strengthening prehistoric research in the area and uniting scholars across the region. Furthermore, her teaching career has included her role at the University of Nairobi, within the department of Human Anatomy, lecturing in human evolution and adaptations as well as spending a year in 2015 as Senior Lecturer at Mount Kenya University.
Dr Mbua’s public outreach extends beyond helping to educate up and coming archaeologists within the formal environment of university, as evidenced through her involvement with the National Museums of Kenya since 1979. In 2002 she became the Head and Principal Research Scientist in the Department of Earth Sciences which saw her coordinate local and international palaeoscience research in Kenya for 10 years. She has published a number of scientific papers individually and in collaboration with others and has a rich scientific network. She is a recipient of the first “Mary Leakey Award for Research and Study of Human Origins” and the first African woman paleoanthropologist. In addition to scientific work, she is currently running a Faunal Identification in-house course for museum’s staff and other interested parties with occasional visits to the Nairobi National Park.
It is the effort to disseminate her knowledge of a very specific and influential area of archaeology to all members of society that highlights her status as a true #trowelblazer.
Post by Sally Clarke
Images provided by Emma Mbua and used with permission.
