Mhairi Gibson
Dr Mhairi Gibson
BA (Hons) Anthropology (Durham), M.Phil Biological Anthropology (Cantab), PhD Biological Anthropology (UCL)
Senior Lecturer in Biological AnthropologyDepartment of Archaeology and Anthropology |
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Research interests
- Evolutionary approaches to the study of human behaviour
- Patterns and processes of population change in the developing world
- The application of evolutionary anthropology to questions of child health
- Frameworks that facilitate the integration of biological, cultural and environmental data
- Regional focus: Ethiopia, Sub-Saharan Africa
Current Projects
My research interests lie in the field of human behavioural ecology: using concepts from evolutionary biology to explain human behavioural diversity. The study of HBE assumes that biology and behaviour can evolve and adapt through natural selection and by maximising reproductive fitness. Furthermore, that these strategies change overtime/space according to different social and ecological circumstances. The focus of my research has been to use these approaches to identify child health issues in the developing world, particularly those arising from recent population and health changes.
Evolutionary Demography: testing predictions from 'life history theory'
Investigating the demographic, social and health consequences of a development intervention scheme on a rural agricultural district in Southern Ethiopia (funders: ESRC, Wellcome, The Leverhulme Trust):
- Does a reduction in workload effect women's fertility? Does this influence child growth and health?
- Does development intervention influence reproductive and parental investment strategies/trade-offs? Does this impact on out-migration and child education?
Evolutionary Anthropology: exploring human parental investment decisions and family structures
Analysing demographic and anthropological data to explore how local ecologies influence reproductive decisions, child-care, marriage and inheritance practices
Changing environmental risks: Can disease exposure alter parenting attitudes and behaviours? The role of kin: How and why do grandmothers improve child growth and survival? Do all siblings compete for resources? When and how do siblings cooperate? Sex biases: Can a mother's condition influence the sex of her child? Polygyny and marriage preferences: Why do some women marry married men?
Recent publications
Gibson, M A and Gurmu E (2011) Land inheritance establishes sibling competition for marriage and reproduction. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 108 (6): 2200-2204.
Gibson, M A and Lawson D W (2011) 'Modernization' increases parental investment and sibling resource competition: evidence from a rural development initiative in Ethiopia. Evolution and Human Behavior 32 (2):97-105.
Gibson, M A and Sear R (2010) Does wealth increase parental investment biases in child education? Evidence from two African populations on the cusp of the fertility transition. Current Anthropology 51 (5): 693-701.
Gibson, M A (2008) Does investment in the sexes differ when fathers are absent? Sex-biased infant survival and child growth in rural Ethiopia. Human Nature 19(3):263-276.
Gibson, M A and Mace, R (2007) Polygyny, reproductive success and child health in rural Ethiopia: why marry a married man? Journal of Biosocial Science 39(2): 287-300.
Gibson, M A and Mace, R (2006) An energy-saving development initiative increases birth rate and childhood malnutrition in rural Ethiopia. PLoS Medicine 3(4): 476-484.
Gibson, M A and Mace, R (2005) Helpful grandmothers in rural Ethiopia: A study of the effect of kin on child survival and growth. Evolution and Human Behavior . 26, 6, 469-482.
Gibson, M A and Mace, R (2003) Strong mothers bear more sons in rural Ethiopia. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B (Biology Letters) 270, S108-S109.
Gibson, M A and Mace, R (2002) Labor-saving technology increases fertility in rural Africa. Current Anthropology 43, 4, 631-637.
Gibson, M and Mace, R (2002) The impact of a labor-saving technology on first birth intervals in rural Ethiopia. Human Biology 74, 1, 111-128.
Reviews & Comments
Sear, R & Gibson, M A (2009 )Introduction to special issue on "Trade-Offs in Female Life Histories: Integrating Evolutionary Frameworks". American Journal of Human Biology 21, 4, 417-420.
Gibson, M A (2007) 'In-law Conflict among the Matrilineal Khasi'. Current Anthropology 48, 87.
Gibson, M A (2005) 'Evolution's Rainbow: Diversity, Gender, and Sexuality in Nature and People'. Journal of Biosocial Science 37, 2, 255-256.
Field sites
Arsi, Southern Ethiopia: For over 10 years I have been undertaking anthropological and demographic data collection in a rural agricultural district of Southern Ethiopia; recently this has included collating migrant and marriage histories in collaboration with Dr Eshetu Gurmu (AAU). In addition, I have undertaken child growth and child health surveys and collected social network, livelihood and time allocation data, in collaboration with researchers at Addis Ababa University and University College London.
British Academy UK-Africa Academic Partnership - Bristol & Addis Ababa (since 2006): A UK-African Academic Partnership Award with Dr Eshetu Gurmu (Institute of Population Studies, AAU) has formalised collaborative links between students and staff interested in population & development issues in Bristol and Addis Ababa Universities. Details of all the activities that students can take part in are advertised on the partnership website www.ukafrica.net
Methodologies
- Demographic Questionnaires: design and application
- Anthropometric Surveys: body size, composition, child growth rates
- Behavioural Data Collection: time allocation, scan-sampling techniques
- Qualitative Data Collection: focus groups
- Demographic and Health Statistics: event history analysis, multi-level modelling
- Analytical Software: SPSS, SAS, MLwiN, Epi Info