Social experiences can have lasting effects on our health, including reproductive health. Our research explores how social adversity becomes biologically embedded across the life course and shapes health and reproduction in humans and other primates. To do this, we combine long-term anthropological and behavioral data with genomic analyses of tissue samples and in vitro cell line experiments. Our goal is to uncover the molecular mechanisms linking social environments to health and reproduction and to understand why evolution has made us sensitive to these experiences. Complementing this work, our lab also investigates the genomic basis of mate choice to better understand how genetic variation influences female reproductive physiology, behavior, and reproductive success.
