My perspective is informed by human behavioral ecology and life history theory, which attempt to explain variation in behavior and physiological systems as adaptive solutions to competing demands of growth, development, maintenance and reproduction. My research focuses on:

(1) biodemography of human lifespan and aging with secondary focus on child development, intergenerational transfers and familial organization.

(2) social and economic behavior among foragers and forager-farmers. I am interested in ultimate and proximate explanations for the diversity of pro-social behaviors we find in small-scale, traditional populations, as well as in large-scale modern societies.

These interests have culminated in the Tsimane Life History and Health Project, funded by NIH/NIA and NSF since 2002.

I have conducted fieldwork with two South American indigenous populations, the Ache of Paraguay and the Tsimane of Bolivia.

email: gurven@anth.ucsb.edu 
phone: 805-893-2202

University of California-Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA 93106