World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!

D-Index & Metrics

Social Sciences and Humanities

D-Index
46
Citations
9333
World Ranking
3617
National Ranking
1737

Research.com Recognitions

  • 1986 - Member of the National Academy of Sciences

Overview

J. Desmond Clark was affiliated with the University of California, Berkeley in the United States. Their research focused primarily on the fields of Earth and Planetary Sciences as well as Social Sciences, with significant contributions to subfields including Anthropology, Paleontology, Archeology, Social Psychology, and Ecology.

The scientist's work involved several key topics, including:

  • Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology
  • Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies
  • Archaeology and ancient environmental studies
  • Primate Behavior and Ecology
  • Evolution and Paleontology Studies
  • Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
  • Diet and metabolism studies

J. Desmond Clark published extensively in various journals. Notable recent papers included:

  • Seasonality and Oldowan behavioral variability in East Africa, 2021, Journal of Human Evolution
  • Seasonal resource categorisation and behavioral adaptation among chimpanzees: Implications for early hominin carnivory., 2023, PubMed
  • Seasonality and Lithic Investment in the Oldowan, 2023, Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology
  • When is a handaxe a planned-axe? exploring morphological variability in the Acheulean, 2024, PLoS ONE
  • When to generalise and when to specialise? Climate change and hominin biocultural adaptability in the African early and middle stone age, 2024, Quaternary Science Advances

Frequent co-authors included Gonzalo Linares-Matás, Jonathan S. Lim, Alastair Key, Ceri Shipton, and Marie-Hélène Moncel. The scientist's work appeared in venues such as the Journal of Human Evolution, PLoS ONE, PubMed, Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology, and Quaternary Science Advances.

In addition to journal articles, J. Desmond Clark authored books published by Yale University Press, including The Dissolution of the Monasteries (2021).

Over the course of their career, they received recognition such as the Member of the National Academy of Sciences award in 1986.

Best Publications

  • Environment and Behavior of 2.5-Million-Year-Old Bouri Hominids

    Jean de Heinzelin;J. Desmond Clark;Tim White;William Hart

  • The prehistory of Africa

    J. Desmond Clark

  • The prehistory of Southern Africa

    J. Desmond Clark

  • Stratigraphic, chronological and behavioural contexts of Pleistocene Homo sapiens from Middle Awash, Ethiopia.

    J. Desmond Clark;Yonas Beyene;Giday WoldeGabriel;William K. Hart

  • The Human Revolution [and Comments and Reply]

    Charles F. Hockett;Robert Ascher;George A. Agogino;Ray L. Birdwhistell

  • The Potassium-Argon Dating of Late Cenozoic Rocks in East Africa and Italy [and Comments and Reply]

    J. F. Evernden;G. H. Curtis;William Bishop;C. Loring Brace

  • The Middle Stone Age of East Africa and the beginnings of regional identity

    J. Desmond Clark

  • A Reappraisal of the Clacton Spearpoint

    Kenneth P. Oakley;Peter Andrews;Lawrence H. Keeley;J. Desmond Clark

  • Background to Evolution in Africa

    J. E. Parkington;Walter W. Bishop;J. Desmond Clark

  • New discoveries of Australopithecus at Maka in Ethiopia

    T D White;G Suwa;W K Hart;R C Walter

  • Fire and its roles in early hominid lifeways

    Unknown

  • The prehistoric cultures of the Horn of Africa

    J. Desmond Clark

  • Hominid occupation of the East-Central Highlands of Ethiopia in the Plio–Pleistocene

    J. Desmond Clark;H. Kurashina

  • Palaeoanthropological discoveries in the Middle Awash Valley, Ethiopia

    J. Desmond Clark;Berhane Asfaw;Getaneh Assefa;J. W. K. Harris

  • An elephant butchery site at Mwanganda's Village, Karonga, Malawi, and its relevance for Palaeolithic archaeology

    J. Desmond Clark;C. Vance Haynes

  • Archaeological perspectives in the Nihewan Basin, China

    Kathy Schick;Nicholas Toth;Wei Qi;J. Desmond Clark

  • From Hunters to Farmers: The Causes and Consequences of Food Production in Africa

    Creighton Gabel;J. Desmond Clark;Steven A. Brandt

  • The cultures of the Middle Palaeolithic/Middle Stone Age

    J. Desmond Clark

  • The rock art of South Africa

    A. R. Willcox;J. Desmond Clark

  • A Middle Stone Age occupation site at Porc Epic Cave, Dire Dawa (east-central Ethiopia)

    J. Desmond Clark;Kenneth D. Williamson;Joseph W. Michels;Curtis A. Marean

  • A Re-Examination of the Evidence for Agricultural Origins in the Nile Valley

    J. Desmond Clark

  • The Stone Age cultures of Northern Rhodesia

    Hallam L. Movius;J. Desmond Clark

  • African and Asian perspectives on the origins of modern humans.

    J. Desmond Clark

  • Kalambo Falls Prehistoric Site III. The Earlier Cultures: Middle and Earlier Stone Age

    Creighton Gabel;J. Desmond Clark

  • Africa in Prehistory: Peripheral or Paramount

    J. Desmond Clark

Frequent Co-Authors

Paul R. Renne
Paul R. Renne Berkeley Geochronology Center
Giday WoldeGabriel
Giday WoldeGabriel Los Alamos National Laboratory
Richard L. Hay
Richard L. Hay University of Arizona
William K. Hart
William K. Hart Miami University
Martin Williams
Martin Williams University of Adelaide
Kenneth R. Ludwig
Kenneth R. Ludwig Berkeley Geochronology Center
Peter Andrews
Peter Andrews University College London
Jack R. Harlan
Jack R. Harlan University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
J. M. J. de Wet
J. M. J. de Wet University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Theodosius Dobzhansky
Theodosius Dobzhansky University of California, Davis

If you think any of the details on this page are incorrect, let us know.

Report an issue

We appreciate your kind effort to assist us to improve this page, it would be helpful providing us with as much detail as possible in the text box below:

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

Online learning has opened up diverse routes for those interested in Social Sciences and Humanities. Popular degrees include Psychology, Social Work, Counseling, and Marriage and Family Therapy, each offering unique career opportunities.

Those seeking affordability may explore the cheapest online degree in psychology, which provides foundational knowledge and helps start a career in counseling, research, or human resources. Learners looking for practical impact in communities can consider an msw online program (Master of Social Work) for a career in social work or case management.

For advanced roles in mental health, the psyd psychology programs focus on preparing students for clinical practice as licensed psychologists. Alternatively, those interested in strengthening families and relationships might pursue one of the mft online programs (Marriage and Family Therapy), which can lead to rewarding counseling careers.

These flexible online options make it easier to balance education, work, and personal commitments, while preparing for meaningful roles in society.

Best Scientists Citing J. Desmond Clark

Recently Published Articles