He then formed the IARE, inviting notably Johanson, an American anthropologist and founding director of the Institute of Human Origins of Arizona State University; Jon Kalb, an American geologist; and Yves Coppens, a French-born paleontologist now based at the Collège de France, to co-direct the research.
He initiated the IARE, assembling a team of prominent researchers including Johanson (anthropology), Kalb (geology), and Coppens (paleontology) to lead the research effort.