In 1985, Curtis, set to retire in 1989, moved the group from his lab at the university to the basement of the independent Institute for Human Origins (IHO), at the suggestion of American anthropologist F. Clark Howell.
[1][2] Both Curtis and IHO founder, Donald Johanson, were known to have egos that might "clash", but Howell thought that bringing the two research groups together could benefit both.
[1] The IHO's mission included publicizing the anthropology of ancient human ancestors to the general public, and the geochronology scientists felt the anthropologists emphasized this at the expense of more basic science, while the paleoanthropologist felt the geochronologists were devoting too much research time and funding to general geology questions not related to the institute's primary mission.
[1] The split was acrimonious and garnered negative publicity for some of those involved from their peers in professional organizations, particularly as Gordon Getty, the single largest donor and a board member of IHO, withdrew funding to the parent institute (IHO) while providing start-up funding to the geochronology group.
The staff includes research scientists specializing in various geological periods and areas, in addition to postdoctoral scholars and graduate students.