At Johns Hopkins, Dr. Sylvester is an assistant professor in the Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution. He has a background in anthropology and zoology.

His research focuses on understanding the way in which humans and non-human primates move through their environments. Movement is essential for finding food, water, safety and potential mates, and is therefore critical to a specie's ability to thrive. He studies the structure and interactions of bones and muscles to learn how they predict an animal's ability to move.