About Hu Han
Hello!
My name is Hu Han, and i am a Professor in the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP), Chinese Academy of Sciences.
My research focuses on the functional morphology of tetrapods and avian evolution, using high-resolution 3D imaging and quantitative approaches such as geometric morphometrics. My work integrates large-scale comparative datasets of both extant and fossil taxa to reconstruct the anatomy, function, and ecology of key fossil species. Current efforts focus on expanding existing 3D morphological datasets and refining analytical pipelines to address questions in tetrapod evolution, with a particular emphasis on the dinosaur-bird transition.
Education and Working Experiences
2023/04-2023/12, Honorary Visiting Senior Research Associate, School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, UK.
2022/10-2023/06, Research Member of Common Room, Kellogg College, University of Oxford, UK.
2021/06-2023/06, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, UK.
2020/02-2021/02, Visiting Researcher, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, UK.
2018/01-2021/02, UNE Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Zoology Division, University of New England, Australia
2011/09-2017/07, PhD in Paleontology and Stratigraphy, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP), Chinese Academy of Sciences.
2007/09-2011/07, Bachelor of Science in Earth Information Science and Technology, Sun Yat-Sen University (SYSU).
Grants
National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC): Excellent Young Scientists Fund Program (Overseas)，Tetrapod ecomorphology and the origin and evolution of birds, 2024/01-2026/12. (Principal Investigator)
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship: Tetrapod limb ecomorphology inferring ecology during dinosaur-bird transition, 2021/05-2023/05. (Principal Investigator)
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (for Australian Synchrotron Beamtime): Cranial evolution and palaeoecological indications during the dinosaur-bird transition: 5 key specimens from the Jehol Biota, China, 2020/02. (Principal Investigator)
University of New England (Armidale, Australia): A fresh look at the dinosaur-bird transition: The evolution of birds as revealed by advanced digital approaches and key Cretaceous bird and dinosaur material from China, 2018/01-2021/01. (Principal Investigator)
State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology (Nanjing, China): Cranial functional morphology of Early Cretaceous birds, 2018/06-2021/06. (Principal Investigator)
Grand Challenges Program, Chinese Academy of Sciences: Dinosaur Faunas of the Northern Hemisphere and Major Evolutionary Events during the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods, 2025/01-2027/12. (Co-investigator)
National Key Research and Development Program of China, Project of Terrestrial Ecosystem Evolution across the Mesozoic–Cenozoic Transition, Vertebrate Radiation and Evolution across the Cretaceous–Paleogene Transition, 2024/12-2029/11. (Co-investigator)
Key Research Program of Frontier Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences: The origin of birds and evolution of key avian biological features, 2019/10-2029/10. (Co-investigator)
National Natural Science Foundation of China (General Program): Investigation of the Late Miocene avian fauna using high-resolution CT and contrast-enhanced CT, 2018/01-2021/12。 (Co-investigator)
National Key Basic Research Program of China (973 Program): Evolution of Chinese Terrestrial Biotae in Relation to Environmental Changes Since 400 Million Years Ago, 2012/01-2016/12. (Co-investigator)
National Natural Science Foundation of China (General Program): Systematic Review of Chinese Mesozoic Birds and Study on their Flight and Habit, 2012/01-2015/12. (Co-investigator)
Key Deployment Project of Chinese Academy of Sciences: Archaeopteryx and a better Understanding of Early Avian Evolution, 2015/01-2015/12. (Co-investigator)