Turkana Basin Institute Ileret Research Facility

The Turkana Basin Institute (TBI) is a privately funded, non-profit initiative, founded by Richard Leakey and Stony Brook University. It is a collaborative, international, multi-disciplinary enterprise that seeks to facilitate fieldwork within the Lake Turkana Basin by providing logistical support to researchers. The primary research focus is human prehistory and related earth and natural science studies. As the most important repository of fossil evidence for human evolution, a major commitment of TBI is to safeguard the extensive fossil deposits in the region through engagement with the local communities.

TBI-Ileret is situated about five kilometers away from the Ileret village, close to the Kenya-Ethiopia border on the east side of Lake Turkana. The facility operates largely out of temporary structures and includes a permanent laboratory for the preparation and analysis of fossils. Construction of the permanent campus at Ileret began in January 2012.