G. Ainsworth Harrison

Geoffrey Ainsworth Harrison FRAI (8 June 1927 – 14 September 2017) was an English biological anthropologist who taught at the University of Oxford.

Early life and education Harrison was born in Teddington, Middlesex, England, on 8 June 1927. He received a 1st class degree from Trinity College, Cambridge, where he read natural sciences. At Cambridge, he became interested in anthropology after attending a lecture on Australopithecus by paleontologist Robert Broom. He received his DPhil from the University of Oxford for his work on the adaptation of mice to warm environments, which he conducted under the supervision of Joseph Weiner.

Academic career Harrison's first academic position was as a lecturer at the University of Liverpool, where he studied skin pigmentation. In 1963, he joined the faculty at Oxford as Reader in Physical Anthropology, where he was appointed Professor of Biological Anthropology in 1976. He also helped to establish Oxford's Diploma in Human Biology, the Department of Biological Anthropology (later the Institute of Biological Anthropology), and the MSc in Human Biology. He retired from Oxford in 1994, though he continued to write and conduct research for an additional 20 years.

Professional affiliations Harrison was president of the Royal Anthropological Institute from 1969 to 1970. He was also chair of the Society for the Study of Human Biology and of the Biosocial Society, as well as a member of many learned societies.

Death Harrison died in Oxford, England, on 14 September 2017.