An Ode to Jon Marks on the Occasion of His Retirement

Dr. Jonathan Marks retires from UNC Charlotte this year after 25 years with our Anthropology Department. An internationally recognized authority on human and primate genetics and evolution as well as the history and ethics of science, Dr. Marks has published seven books since joining our department, along with dozens of articles and book chapters in his specialties. He has held prestigious Fellowships at the University of Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study, at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, and at the University of Edinburgh. One of his colleagues at another university, in nominating Dr. Marks for the American Anthropological Association’s Franz Boas Award for Exemplary Service to Anthropology, noted that “He has influenced biological anthropology for the better, represented the most ethical and deeply thoughtful considerations of our work to the public, and reminded us all how, as we work together, anthropology can function in service of something greater than ourselves.” Both colleagues and students know him as an outstanding mentor, a skillful teacher, and a genuinely pleasant and caring human being. One of his former students, Dr. Adam Johnson (M.A. Anthropology UNC Charlotte 2017, Ph.D. University of Texas at San Antonio 2024), has written a heartfelt appreciation of his mentor here.