Dr Rob Walsh held the position of Project Director of the LRU from its inception in July 2000 to his retirement from active research in July 2025. His projects included the re-assignment of the Ceprano calvaria as a Homo heidelbergensis, The early hominins from China and an overview of Spanish ancient hominin finds from sites such as Orce and Atapuerca. Rob visited and worked on both sites in Spain.
He attained his degree from Oxford, UK in Archaeology in 1997, and later went on to complete a Doctorate in Biological and Physical Anthropology awarded by La Sapienza University in Rome, Italy in 2002.
Rob worked mainly from his home in Bournemouth, in collaboration with his fellow LRU researchers, and formally worked with the Natural History Museum in London, of which he was associated with the Human Origins Group (until its disbandment ). He is friends with Professor Chris Stringer.
Rob has worked with Professor Paul Palmqvist of Malaga University at the Guadix-Baza 'Orce' sites in Spain & also with Dr Marina Mosquera Martinez at the Gran Dolina in Atapuerca. Spain.
Rob is also friends with Gabrielle Delbarre, who curates the Anthropology collection at Bournemouth University.
He also runs the Facebook LRU group, which viewers to this site are encouraged to join for the latest news in Palaeoanthropology.