Peter Ungar, distinguished professor and chair of the Department of Anthropology, has been named the director of the environmental dynamics doctoral program. He will begin his duties January 4.

The environmental dynamics program examines complex interactions between natural systems and human activity. The program's primary focus is human-environmental interactions in the past and today. It is an interdisciplinary program housed within the Graduate School and International Education.

"We are delighted at Dr. Ungar's appointment as the next director of environmental dynamics," said Kim Needy, dean of the Graduate School and International Education. "Not only is he a well-respected scholar, but there is great confidence amongst the environmental dynamics community that he has the vision and leadership to take the program to even greater heights."

Ungar has been a member of the environmental dynamics steering committee for eight years and has been a core faculty member for the program since its creation.

Ungar's research focuses on the role of diet in human evolution. He has authored or coauthored more than 150 scientific works on ecology and evolution, and his book Teeth: Origin, Evolution, and Diversity won the PROSE Award from the Association of American Publishers for best book in the biological sciences.

His work has been featured in documentaries on the Discovery Channel, the Science Channel, BBC Television and other television outlets. He has given dozens of invited talks and keynote addresses at venues around the world, including the Royal Society in London, the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., and the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

Ungar earned a doctorate in anthropological sciences from State University of New York at Stony Brook and taught in the medical schools at John Hopkins University and Duke University before joining the faculty at the University of Arkansas in 1995.