Anthropology
Student Research Opportunities in Anthropology
Below you will find a listing of all available research opportunities in Anthropology. Please use the contact information listed in each posting for further information regarding the research opportunity.
Michael Muehlenbein
Evolutionary Medicine
My interests in evolutionary medicine focus on understanding differences in susceptibility between people, populations, and sex based on variation in hormone levels, particularly testosterone. Steroid hormones intimately modify and respond to changes in the immune system. New projects focus on the effects of acute and chronic changes in estradiol on immunity against infectious diseases in women.
Recommended Pre-requisites: Interest in health-related career
Course Credit Offered: Yes
Begin Date: Ongoing
Contact Information: Michael_Muehlenbein@baylor.edu
Global Health, One Health, and Conservation Medicine
My interests in global health are diverse and include the following: 1.) Understanding sources of emerging infectious diseases, particularly the origins of malaria and viruses from monkeys and apes. 2.) Understanding the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of people while traveling for nature-based tourism. This involves understanding choices people make in relation to the destination communities they visit and the endangered species they interact with. 3.) Understanding gender and culture differences in perception of risk of acquiring zoonotic diseases like Zika virus. 4.) Understand why some people choose to not get vaccinated or not vaccinate their children.
Recommended Pre-requisites: Interest in health-related career
Course Credit Offered: Yes
Begin Date: Ongoing
Contact Information: Michael_Muehlenbein@baylor.edu
Samuel S. Urlacher
Human Evolutionary Biology and Health Lab
The Human Evolutionary Biology and Health Lab that I direct at Baylor specializes in the measurement of human energy expenditure (via doubly labeled water stable isotope tracking) and physiological biomarkers and hormones. My long-term field research is performed collaboratively with Indigenous populations in Ecuador and Papua New Guinea. I am also engaged in other domestic and international projects. This work addresses fundamental topics in anthropology and biology, but it also strives to reduce health disparities and to improve the lives of the amazing people that participate in my research.
Contact information: Samuel_Urlacher@baylor.edu