Overview
How did the human body evolve, and how does our species' deep past shape our health and physiology today? Through lab and field research, I investigate the physiology of humans and apes to understand how ecology, lifestyle, diet, and evolutionary history affect metabolism and health. I'm also interested in how ecology and evolution influence musculoskeletal design and physical activity. Field projects focus on small-scale societies, including hunter-gatherers and subsistence farmers, in Africa and South America. Lab research focuses on energetics and metabolism, including respirometry and doubly labeled water methods.
Current Duke Appointments & Affiliations
Jerry G. and Patricia Crawford Hubbard Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology
·
2026 - Present
Evolutionary Anthropology,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology
·
2022 - Present
Evolutionary Anthropology,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Associate Research Professor of Global Health
·
2019 - Present
Duke Global Health Institute,
University Institutes and Centers
Associate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society
·
2020 - Present
Duke Science & Society,
University Initiatives & Academic Support Units
Recent Scholarly Works
Historic drought in northern Kenya shifts diet and mobility away from traditional pastoralism as resource security and nutrition falter
Journal article Global Environmental Change · October 1, 2026 The Greater Horn of Africa suffered the worst drought in >40 years between late 2020 and early 2023. Using a prospective, interdisciplinary unbalanced panel study between 2019 and 2024 among Daasanach pastoralists in northern Kenya, we measured the effects ... Full text CiteBirth Weight in the Daasanach Community of Northern Kenya and the Effect of Multiparity.
Conference American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council · July 2026 ObjectivesPregnancy is physiologically demanding and may have long-term effects on mothers, yet the effects of prior pregnancies on pregnancy outcomes are not well understood, particularly among non-industrialized subsistence populations. This res ... Full text CiteIncreased Vulnerability to Dehydration Due to Heat Stress and Drought Across Reproductive States for Pastoralist Women in Northern Kenya.
Journal article American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council · July 2026 ObjectivesExtreme weather events, like drought and heat stress, make it harder to meet water needs in water-insecure settings, particularly vulnerable groups. This study examines how short-term (heat stress) and long-term (drought) water stress af ... Full text CiteRecent Grants
Drinking water salinity in a hot-dry environment: Hydration, kidney function, and blood pressure
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Pennsylvania State University · 2024 - 2029Effects of Physical Activity on Human Pregnancy Energetics: Testing Maternal Metabolic Limits
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2023 - 2027Developing insertable cardiac monitors to assess social and environmental effects on the autonomic stress response in a nonhuman primate model of aging
ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by University of Notre Dame · 2022 - 2027View All Grants
Education
Harvard University ·
2006
Ph.D.