I'm a bio-cultural anthropologist, and I just finished a postdoc at Arizona State University with Athena Aktipis in the Department of Psychology.
My Ph.D. work (supervised by Lee Cronk, Rutgers University) was on social learning mechanisms needed to produce complex material culture. I ran an experiment designed to test whether imitation is the trait needed for iterative improvements in technology, akin to what we see in technological improvement across generations of people.
I joined the Cooperation and Conflict Lab at ASU in 2015. For the 1.5 years of my postdoc, I continued to focus primarily on designing experimental tests of hypotheses about a range of topics emerging from two different project areas: 1) microbiome of the gut and oral cavity as a potential influence on development, human behavior, and mental health; 2) a team project about cooperative behavior.
My Ph.D. work (supervised by Lee Cronk, Rutgers University) was on social learning mechanisms needed to produce complex material culture. I ran an experiment designed to test whether imitation is the trait needed for iterative improvements in technology, akin to what we see in technological improvement across generations of people.
I joined the Cooperation and Conflict Lab at ASU in 2015. For the 1.5 years of my postdoc, I continued to focus primarily on designing experimental tests of hypotheses about a range of topics emerging from two different project areas: 1) microbiome of the gut and oral cavity as a potential influence on development, human behavior, and mental health; 2) a team project about cooperative behavior.
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For the last year of my postdoc, my work on the second project transitioned from laboratory work back to my undergraduate roots in cultural anthropology. I am currently working on analyzing data from the 3 months I spent learning about sharing and giving in local communities in central Appalachia. See Sharing in Kentucky for more.
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What's New? June 2018:
I am working on two manuscripts from the work that I did last summer in southeast Kentucky! The first focuses on understanding informal social support in the context of economic change, while the second deals with subsistence (growing, finding, and hunting food!). March 2018: I'm looking forward to visiting southeast Kentucky from March 21-April 4! On March 31 at 3pm I'll be talking about the summer research, "Sharing in Kentucky" at the Knott County Sportsplex, in the conference room. This event is open to the public. I'll also be presenting at the Appalachian Studies Association conference in Cincinnati, April 5-8. Please click the Sharing in Kentucky Study tab for a synopsis of those results. December 2017:
I just submitted a grant proposal that would enable me to spend some additional time in eastern Kentucky over the next few years. Fingers crossed!  Photo courtesy of Misty Hamilton
September 2017:
I'm wrapping up an amazing field season in Eastern Kentucky in just a few weeks. I'm sad to say goodbye to the wonderful people and new friends I've made here, but am looking forward to sharing some of what I've learned about this special place with friends and colleagues. July 2017:
I'm looking forward to spending the summer in southeast Kentucky, where I'll be talking to local people about sharing and helping as part of the Human Generosity Project -- humangenerosity.org |