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Current staff members teaching on the programme:
Sahra Gibbon Convenor in MSc in Biosocial Medical Anthropology
‘I have come to Biosocial Medical Anthropology with a background in medical anthropology having carried out research on the social and cultural context of developments in genomics. This work has led to a strong conviction that cross-disciplinary dialogue is central to ensuring the relevance and vitality of medical anthropology in addressing global health care challenges and engaging emerging fields of biosocial science. The Biosocial Medical Anthropology programme provides a uniquely important space in which to extend the parameters and scope of that exchange.’
- Convenor and tutor for MSc Biosocial Medical Anthropology
- Convenor for Anthropologies of Science, Society and Biomedicine
Emily Emmott Lecturer in Biological Anthropology
'My enthusiasm for biosocial approaches started with a BSc degree in Human Sciences: Having had the opportunity to study across the life and social sciences, I recognised that human health and behaviour are determined by complex interactions between your biology, ecology, history and culture. Now trained as an evolutionary anthropologist, I investigate cooperative childrearing in developed populations and its consequences for parents, children, and adolescents. A biosocial approach allows me to consider our evolutionary history as well as current socio-ecological context, encouraging me to cross disciplinary boundaries and bring unique insights.'
- Convenor for Applied Evolutionary Anthropology
Carrie Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Biosocial Medical Anthropology
‘I come to Biosocial Medical Anthropology with a background in ageing research and experience caregiving for older adults in institutional contexts in the US and UK. My academic and practical training has shown me that ageing is shaped by a complex entanglement between social and biological factors, and I have found that the interdisciplinary focus of Biosocial Medical Anthropology helps me capture the multi-faceted nature of old age particularly well. I think the Biosocial Medical Anthropology programme is unique in its ability to offer students a valuable skillset not only to understand the world’s most pressing social issues, like ageing, in their complexity, but also to generate creative, comprehensive ways to tackle the dilemmas they pose.’
Deniz Salali, Lecturer in Evolutionary Anthropology/Medicine
‘I came to UCL Anthropology with a background in genetics and evolutionary biology. In my research, I apply concepts and theories in evolutionary biology to questions on human health and behaviour, studying modern-day hunter-gatherers in Congo and Western societies. I believe moving beyond disciplinary boundaries allows us to tackle health issues more creatively and effectively. For this reason, BioSocial Medical Anthropology is a great programme to be exposed to different perspectives and approaches to medicine, giving you a unique background.’
Lewis Daly, Lecturer in Social Anthropology of the Environment
‘I am a social anthropologist of the environment who works on people-plant relationships in Amazonia and the Caribbean. My research interests include indigenous ecological knowledge and practice; shamanism, ritual, and cosmology; ethno-ornithology and human-bird communication; indigenous rights; and the politics of conservation and sustainable development. In my research into ethnobotanical engagements, I have been exploring multispecies ethnography as a method for a more-than-human anthropology in the context of the Anthropocene.’
Dalia Iskander, Lecturer Medical Anthropology
‘I came to anthropology through an undergraduate degree in archaeology and anthropology followed by many years working in global health research management. As a Lecturer in Medical Anthropology, my research has focussed on infectious disease particularly malaria in the Philippines. A biosocial lens has allowed me to explore how the relationship between pathogenic organisms, insect vectors and animal hosts is shaped by factors ranging from colonialism and mining on Indigenous lands to individual attempts to keep bodies, the environment and the cosmos in careful balance. Biosocial approaches are fundamental for tackling health through academia, global health and health policy.’
Alex Tasker, Teaching Fellow in Human Ecology/Health and Environment
‘I am a dual-trained veterinarian and development anthropologist who works on the social and biological drivers of health and disease in marginalised populations. My research interests include informal agriculture, hybrid knowledge networks, emerging diseases, forced migration, and the role of power and politics in shaping international development. I currently split my time between working at UCL as a Lecturer in Human Ecology, and as an embedded scientist for the UK COVID-19 Task Force.’