Category: Biological Anthropology

The Department of Anthropology at Emory University (Atlanta, GA) Invites Applications for a Tenured Position in Biological Anthropology

The Department of Anthropology at Emory University (Atlanta, GA) invites applications for a tenured position in biological anthropology to begin Fall 2021. We seek scholars at the associate or full professor level who are engaged in cutting-edge research in any area of biological anthropology. To complement existing departmental strengths, we are particularly interested in scholars engaged in field and/or lab-based research in the areas of behavioral/human ecology, genetics, human biology, paleoanthropology, prehistoric archaeology, primatology, neuroscience and anthropology, and scientifically-based medical anthropology. Candidates should be willing and able to regularly teach a large introductory or foundational course in biological anthropology along with courses in their area of expertise and be willing to mentor undergraduate and graduate students. Candidates must have a doctoral degree, excellent research record, and a demonstrated commitment to teaching.  

Applications should include cover letter, curriculum vita, research statement, teaching statement, a statement about teaching and mentorship of students of diverse backgrounds, and complete contact information for three references. The Department of Anthropology, Emory College of Arts and Science, and Emory University embrace diversity and seek candidates who will participate in a climate that attracts students of all ethnicities, races, nationalities, genders, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Review of applications will begin on November 1, and applications will be accepted through December 1, 2020. To apply for this position, please submit your materials free of charge through Interfolio: http://apply.interfolio.com/79198 . 

Emory University is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer. Women, non-binary individuals, minorities, people with disabilities and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply. 

Three Outstanding Faculty of the Anthropology Department Retire

Peggy Barlett

Goodrich C. White Professor Emerita

Professor Barlett received her PhD from Columbia University in 1975 and joined Emory in 1976, where she became a founding member of the Department of Anthropology.

Bradd Shore

Goodrich C. White Professor Emeritus

Professor Shore received his PhD from the University of Chicago in 1977 and joined Emory University in 1984 as Associate Professor of Anthropology.

Carol Worthman

Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor Emerita

Professor Worthman received her PhD from Harvard University in 1978 and was appointed Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Emory in 1986.

Alumni spotlight: Andrew (Andy) Wooyoung Kim (‘15C), PhD candidate at Northwestern University

Andrew (Andy) Wooyoung Kim (‘15C), PhD candidate in biological anthropology at Northwestern University and an alumnus of Emory Anthropology and Development Studies, recently spoke on South African TV and radio to discuss his current work on the mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic among communities and healthcare systems in Johannesburg. Speaking on his ethnographic work that he wrote about in an opinion piece published through the Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism, Andy describes the tireless efforts of grassroots mental health organizations on the frontlines of the pandemic and the promise of telepsychiatry as a future mode of service delivery in South Africa.Andrew (Andy) Wooyoung Kim (‘15C), PhD candidate in biological anthropology at Northwestern University and an alumnus of Emory Anthropology and Development Studies, recently spoke on South African TV and radio to discuss his current work on the mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic among communities and healthcare systems in Johannesburg. Speaking on his ethnographic work that he wrote about in an opinion piece published through the Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism, Andy describes the tireless efforts of grassroots mental health organizations on the frontlines of the pandemic and the promise of telepsychiatry as a future mode of service delivery in South Africa.
Since August 2019, Andy has been conducting his dissertation fieldwork on the intergenerational effects of trauma from apartheid. He collaborates with a 30-year longitudinal birth cohort study called Birth to Twenty (also known as “Mandela’s Children) to understand how traumatic experiences that pregnant women faced during the dissolution of apartheid affect the health and biology of subsequent generations. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic cutting his data collection short, he took advantage of his existing research infrastructure to evaluate the mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, identify community psychosocial needs, and connect families to critical social services. He writes about these experiences in a forthcoming special issue on COVID-19 in the American Journal of Human Biology. 
At Northwestern, Andy is currently being advised by fellow Emory Anthropology alumni Christopher Kuzawa (PhD MSPH 2001) and Thomas McDade (PhD 1999). His research has been published in Scientific Reports, Social Science & Medicine, Transcultural Psychiatry, andthe American Journal of Physical Anthropology. His dissertation research is supported by the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Social Science Research Council, and the Wenner-Gren Foundation. Read and hear more about his work below! 


Op-ed: https://bhekisisa.org/article/2020-08-11-covid19-mental-health-south-africa-telemedicine-depression-anxiety-group/
TV interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02KicFbJp90
Radio interview: https://www.702.co.za/podcasts/196/the-best-of-afternoon-drive-with-joanne-joseph/349175/covid-19-has-changed-the-way-sas-only-toll-free-mental-health-helpline-works-heres-why-it-matters
Original research article: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.06.13.20130120v1 (in press at Psychological Medicine)

Dr. Rilling’s research on fatherhood is featured in New York Times article

At a time when most parents have to balance work and parenting more than ever, Dr. Rilling’s research on fatherhood is highlighted in a New York Times article. Why Your Brain Short-Circuits When a Kid Cries summarizes the challenges of parents working from home while schools are not in session and explains the physical reactions to a child’s cries from a scientific perspective as well as the authors personal experience.

Anthropology majors Naomi Tesema (C20) and Anna Wachspress win Emory Libraries’ undergraduate research awards

Naomi Tesema (C20), earned her BS with honors in Anthropology and Human Biology. She received the Atwood Award for her honors theses titled “Mobile Phone Apps for HIV Prevention Among College-aged Black Women in Atlanta: Preferences and Prototype.”

Anna Wachspress, a junior majoring in anthropology and human biology, received an honorable mention for “Lori Loughlin and the College Admissions Scandal: Frame Analysis of Online Entertainment Magazines,” an assignment for Sociology 289: Crime and the Media.

Read the full article in the Emory News Center.

Emory CMBC Podcast features Marcela Benitez, Mel Konner and Christina Rogers Flattery

Dr. Dietrich Stout (Emory Anthropology) interviews Dr. Marcela Benitez about her work with Capuchin monkeys and her interest in their social behavior. Dr. Benitez is a postdoc at GA State University and will join Emory’s Anthropology Department as an assistant professor in January 2021.

Dr. Mel Konner (Emory Anthropology) is interviewed by Dr. Lynne Nygaard as part of CMBC’s “Inside the lab” series. Dr. Konner  speaks about his upcoming course “Evolution of Childhood” and his research interests.

Dr. Christina Rogers Flattery (PhD 2019, postdoc at Harvard) reflects on her experience as a CMBC Certificate student during her time at Emory.

 

Anthropology Honors Students Complete Theses Remotely

Honors2020
Top row from left: Naomi Tesema, Riana Peskopos, Rachel Kim, Nora Keatley; middle row: Ru Prasad, Adama Kamara, Sarena Ho, Jahnvi Jain; bottom row: Emma Hanlon, Elisabeth Crusey, Claire Biffl, Dr. Kristin Phillips

The Anthropology department is proud to recognize eleven seniors who successfully defended honors theses, most of them holding defenses remotely and completing their projects from home after the University closed due to the COVID-19 epidemic.  Their projects, the culmination of a year (or more!) of independent research and writing, were completed under the supervision of faculty advisors and committee members from within and outside of Anthropology, with support from faculty honors coordinator Dr. Kristin Phillips. These students were honored in a virtual Anthropology Honors and Awards Ceremony on April 24th.  One student, Rachel Kim, graduated from Emory in December, and the others are scheduled to graduate with honors on May 11.

Please see below for a full list of theses, and join us in congratulating these students on their hard work and accomplishment!

Claire Biffl – Experiences of Aging, Kinship, Death, and Independence in an Independent Living Facility

Advised by Kristin Phillips

 

Elisabeth Crusey – “Does anybody have ibuprofen?”: An Investigation of Emory Undergraduates’ Over-the-Counter Analgesic Use

Advised by Bisan Salhi (School of Medicine)

 

Emma Hanlon – Spiritual Community, Sacred Congregation: Ritual, Discourse, and Space in the First Existentialist Congregation of Atlanta

Advised by Anna Grimshaw

 

Sarena Ho – Father Absence and Young Adult Romantic Relationship Ideals

Advised by Craig Hadley

 

Jahnvi Jain – Effects of a Brief Breath Focused Mindfulness Meditation Intervention on Heart Rate Variability and Dissociation in Patients with PTSD and Dissociation

Advised by Negar Fani (School of Medicine)

 

Adama Kamara – The Politics of Empowerment and Black Female Sexuality: Perceptions Through the Lens of Atlanta’s Trafficking Networks

Advised by Bayo Holsey

 

Nora Keathley – Latinx Women and Labor in the Digital Age: Exploring Childbirth and Medical Authority Through the Use of YouTube

Advised by John Lindo

 

Rachel Kim – Representation Matters: Changing Portrayals of Asian-Americans in Hollywood Films from 1993-2019

Advised by Anna Grimshaw

 

Riana Peskopos – The Queer Female Medical Narratives

Advised by Anna Grimshaw

 

Ruhika Prasad – Mental Illness and Pregnancy among Women in Mysore, India: Health Provider and Women’s Perspectives

Advised by Joyce Flueckiger (Religion)

 

Naomi Tesema – Mobile Phone Apps for HIV Prevention Among College-Aged Black Women in Atlanta: Preferences and Prototype

Advised by Rasheeta Chandler (Nursing) and John Lindo

 

A list of all previously completed Anthropology honors theses is available at

http://anthropology.emory.edu/home/undergraduate/opportunities/honors.html

Dr. Rilling interviewed by Dr. Oscar Duke for the BBC’s “The science of Dad”

Dr. Rilling interviewed by Dr. Oscar Duke for the BBC’s “The science of Dad”

In his interview with the BBC Dr. James Rilling presents his research on hormonal and neural changes men experience during fatherhood, including lower testosterone and higher oxytocin during early fatherhood.

The interviews with Dr. Rilling and other experts in the field covers the topic of fatherhood and its challenges broadly, listen to the full interview online.