EDUCATION
PhD Anthropology – School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, 2017 Thesis: Maternal Investment and Postnatal Depression – An Evolutionary Approach Supervisors: Dr Sarah E. Johns, Dr Oskar Burger, and Dr Patrick Mahoney
MPhil Biological Anthropology – Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies, University of Cambridge, 2005
BA(hons) Human Sciences – Institute of Human Sciences, University of Oxford, 2004
Cert. Mental Health Studies – The Open University, 2011
EMPLOYMENT
BirthRites Lise Meitner Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Postdoctoral Researcher, March 2024 – present
University of Bristol, Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, Research Associate, July 2022 – Nov. 2023
BirthRites Independent Max Planck Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Stipended Guest Researcher, June 2022 – Feb. 2023
Edith Cowan University, External Thesis Examiner, Dec. 2022
University of Oxford, School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, Casual Lecturer, Nov. 2022
City University of London, Department of Midwifery and Radiography, Guest Lecturer, May 2022
University College London, Department of Anthropology, Associate Lecturer (Teaching) in Biological Anthropology (maternity cover), Nov. 2021 – June 2022
University College London, UCL Anthropology, Senior Teaching Assistant, 2019 – present
University College London, UCL Anthropology, Teaching Assistant, 2017 – 2019
Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust and University of Essex, Research Assistant, 2018 – 2019
University of Roehampton, Department of Life Sciences, Visiting Lecturer in Evolutionary Anthropology, 2016 – 2018
University of Kent, School of Anthropology and Conservation, Assistant Lecturer in Biological Anthropology, 2014 – 2016
RESEARCH AFFILIATION
University of Bristol, Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, Honorary Research Associate, 2023 – present
University College London, Department of Anthropology, Honorary Research Fellow, 2022 – 2024
BirthRites Independent Lise Meitner Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Guest Researcher, 2020 – 2024
University College London, Department of Anthropology, Honorary Research Associate, 2017 – 2021
PUBLICATIONS
Refereed Journal Articles
Gibson, M.A., Gurmu, E., Alvergne, A., Redhead, D., Myers, S. (2025). Gender biased social clustering of attitudes towards physical intimate partner violence: a social network analysis in south-central Ethiopia. PNAS Nexus 4(9): pgaf828.
Myers, S., Gurmu, E., Alvergne, A., Redhead, D., Howard, J.A., Gibson, M.A. (2025). Social clustering of preference for female genital mutilation/cutting in south-central Ethiopia. Nature Human Behaviour 9(9): 1802-1814.
Page, A.E., Emmott, E.H., Sear, R., Perera, N., Black, M., Elgood-Field, J., Myers, S. (2025). Collecting real-time infant feeding and support experience: co-participatory pilot study of mobile health methodology. International Breastfeeding Journal 20(1): 23
Gibson, M.A., Gurmu, E., Chua, R., Van Bavel, H., Myers, S. (2023). Abandoning female genital mutilation/cutting (FGMC) is an emerging but costly parental investment strategy in rural Ethiopia. Social Science and Medicine 116170
Emmott, E.H., Gilliland, A., Narasimhan, A.L., Myers, S. (2023). The impact of COVID-19 lockdown on postpartum mothers in London, England: An online focus group study. Journal of Public Health (Berl.) 1-13
Page, A.E., Ruiz, M., Dyble, M., Major-Smith, D., Migliano, A.B., and Myers, S. (2023). Wealth, health, and inequality in Agta foragers. Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health 11(1): 149-162
Du, J., Huang, Y., Zhou, L., Bai, P., Myers, S., Page, A.E., Mace, R. (2023). Post-marital residence patterns and timing of reproduction: Evidence from a matrilineal society. Proceedings B. 290(1995): 20230159
Chambers, A., Myers, S., Emmott, E.H., and Page, A.E. (2023). Emotional and informational social support from health visitors and breastfeeding outcomes in the UK. International Breastfeeding Journal 18(1): 14
Page, A.E., Emmott, E.H., and Myers, S. (2022). Testing the buffering hypothesis: breastfeeding problems, cessation and social support in the UK. American Journal of Human Biology 2021: e23621.
Myers, S., Page, A.E., and Emmott, E.H. (2021). The differential role of practical and emotional support in breastfeeding outcomes and maternal experience in the UK. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B. 376(1827): 20200034.
Myers, S. and Emmott, E.H. (2021). Communication across maternal social networks during England’s first national lockdown and its association with postnatal depressive symptoms. Frontiers in Psychology 12: 648002.
Page, A.E., Emmott, E.H., and Myers, S. (2021). Testing the buffering hypothesis: breastfeeding problems, cessation and social support in the UK. American Journal of Human Biology 2021: e23621.
Brown, L.J., Myers, S., Page, A.E., and Emmott, E.H. (2020). Subjective environmental experiences and women’s breastfeeding journeys: A survival analysis using an online survey of UK mothers. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17(21): 7903
Emmott, E., Page, A.E., and Myers, S. (2020) Typologies of postnatal support and breastfeeding outcomes in the UK. Social Science and Medicine 246: 112791
Page, A.E., Myers, S., Dyble, M., and Migliano, A.B. (2019). Why so many Agta boys? Explaining ‘extreme’ sex ratios in Philippine foragers. Evolutionary Human Sciences 1: e5
Myers, S. and Johns, S.E. (2019). Male infants and birth complications are associated with increased incidence of postnatal depression. Social Science and Medicine 220: 56-64
Myers, S. and Johns, S.E. (2018). Postnatal depression is associated with detrimental life-long and multi-generational impacts on relationship quality. PeerJ 6: e4305
Myers, S., Burger, O., and Johns, S.E. (2016). Postnatal depression and reproductive success in modern, low-fertility contexts. Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health 1: 71-84
Book Chapters
Langsdale, S. and Myers, S. (2018). The evolution of reproductive fantasies: an interdisciplinary feminist analysis of Disney’s Tangled. Chapter 14 in Holliday, C. and Sergeant, A. (eds) Fantasy/Animation: Connections Between Media, Mediums, and Genres. London: Routledge. pp. 243-260
Invited Commentary
Emmott, E.H., Myers, S., and Page, A.E. (2021). Who cares for women with children? Crossing the bridge between disciplines. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B. 376(1827): 20200019
Emmott, E.H., Page, A.E., and Myers, S. (2020). Typologies of postnatal support and breastfeeding outcomes in the UK: Response to comments by Harpur & Haddon. Social Science and Medicine 112944
Myers, S., Burger, O., and Johns, S.E. (2017). Reply to Hagen and Thornhill. Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health 2017(1): 24-26
Reports and Briefings
Emmott, E.H., and Myers, S. (2021). COVID-19 and Maternal Mental Health Study Briefing Note.
Page, A.E., Emmott, E.H., and Myers, S. (2019). Who cares? An interdisciplinary approach to mother-infant support. Findings from a one-day workshop on introducing evolutionary approaches to caregiving and mother-infant health. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.10485.12005
AWARDS
2025
Co-Investigator: Brunel Research Initiative & Enterprise Fund, £14,995 funding for the project Beyond the Mother – Methodological Developments to Capture High Resolution Data on Infant Feeding, Mental Health, and Social Support. Principal Investigator: A.E. Page (Brunel); Co-Investigators: E.H. Emmott (UCL), R. Sear (Brunel)
2023
Co-Principal Investigator: Institute of Advanced Studies Toulouse Multidisciplinary Prize, €28,590 funding for the project Cooperative Breeding and Children as Helpers: An Interdisciplinary, Cross-Cultural Approach. Co-Principal Investigators: P. Avila (IAST), L. Bader (IAST), M. Bourjade (UTJJ), H. Jang (MPI-EVA), I. Pretelli (IAST)
2021
Co-Investigator: British Academy Small Research Grant, £9988 funding for the project Breastfeeding ideology, expectation, and reality: Gaining a real-time understanding of breastfeeding experience using an innovative mobile app. Principal Investigator: A.E. Page (LSHTM); Co-Investigator: E.H. Emmott (UCL). Ref: SRG2021\210128
2020
Principal Investigator: British Academy Special Research Awards – COVID-19 scheme, £9347 funding for the project Raising a child without the village? Social Support and Maternal Wellbeing in the Time of COVID-19. Co-Investigator: E.H. Emmott (UCL). Ref: COV19\200776
UCL Strategic Initiatives Seed-funding Small Grant, £1986, funding for the project Raising a child without the village? Investigating the nature, role, and consequences of social support networks on maternal mental-health in the UK, in collaboration with E.H. Emmott (UCL)
2018
European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association Workshop Grant, €1000, funding for the 1 day interdisciplinary workshop Who cares? Introducing evolutionary approaches to caregiving and mother-infant health, in collaboration with E.E. Emmott (UCL) and A.E. Page (LSHTM)
2017
International Society for Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health’s George C. Williams Prize, $5000 for being lead author of the most significant article published in Evolutionary Medicine and Public Health in 2016
2016
European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association’s Best Student Conference Presentation
2012
Graduate Teaching Assistant Scholarship from the School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent
INVITED TALKS
2026
‘Social support and postnatal depression: a causal inference workflow for disentangling cause and effect with longitudinal data’ 2026 Applied Causal Graphs Workshop, University of Potsdam
2024
‘Raising a child without the village? Social support and maternal wellbeing in the time of COVID-19’ The British Academy Wellcome Trust Symposium
2023
‘How are FGMC norms transmitted? Exploring the distribution of FGMC preferences across Arsi Oromo social networks in Ethiopia’ UNFPA-UoB Partnership Visit, Perivoli Africa Research Centre, University of Bristol
2022
‘Cooperative childrearing and maternal mental health in the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK’ University of Bristol, Bristol Anthropology and Archaeology Research Seminar Series
2019
‘Evolutionary Approaches to Postnatal Depression – Insights From WEIRD and Small-Scale Settings’ University of Bedfordshire, School of Psychology Seminar Series, 9th January
2018
‘Evolutionary Approaches to Postnatal Depression – Insights From WEIRD and Small-Scale Settings’ University of Oxford, Evolutionary Medicine and Public Health Seminar Series, 21st November
‘Evolutionary Approaches to Maternal Investment and Postnatal Depression’ University College London, Biological Anthropology Seminar Series, 23rd January
2017
‘Evolutionary Perspectives on Postnatal Depression’ George C. Williams Prize lecture, ISEMPH Annual Meeting, Groningen, 19th August
‘Evolutionary Perspectives on Maternal Investment – From Conception (Or Not) Onwards’ University of Cambridge, Biological Anthropology Seminar Series, 24th May
‘Evolutionary Perspectives on Maternal Investment – From Conception (Or Not) Onwards’ London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Evolutionary Demography Seminars, 16th May
2014
‘Postnatal Depression and its Influence on Fertility’ London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Evolutionary Demography Seminars, 10th September
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
2026
Myers, S. and Johns, S.E. Progressing the causal revolution: a case study in causal re-evaluation of applied evolutionary anthropology. Talk at the European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association Conference, Leiden.
Myers, S. and Johns, S.E. Progressing the ‘causal revolution’: a case study in the causal re-evaluation of observational findings in evolutionary medicine. Talk at the International Society for Evolution, Medicine and Public Health Annual Meeting, Kiel.
2025
Myers, S., Gurmu, E., Redhead, D., Alvergne, A., Gibson, M.A. Gender biased transmission of attitudes towards physical intimate partner violence: a social network analysis in south-central Ethiopia. Talk at the European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association Conference, Newcastle.
Myers, S. and Emmott, E.H. Access to allocare, postnatal depression, and shifting fertility desires: exploring the long-term consequences of COVID-19 for reproduction. Talk at the European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association Conference, Newcastle.
2024
Myers, S., Andrews, J., Emmott, E.H. Access to childcare support from across maternal social networks during the COVID-19 pandemic and its association with postnatal depressive symptoms: evidence from the UK. Talk at the European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association Conference, Montpellier.
Myers, S. and Emmott, E.H. Access to allocare, postnatal depression, and shifting fertility desires: exploring the long-term consequences of COVID-19 for reproduction. Talk at the International Society for Evolution, Medicine and Public Health Annual Meeting, Durham.
2023
Myers, S., Gurmu, E., Redhead, D., Alvergne, A., Gibson, M.A. Exploring the social clustering of FGMC attitudes among Arsi Oromo agropastoralists in Ethiopia. Talk at the European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association Conference, UCL, and the International Society for Evolution, Medicine and Public Health Annual Meeting, UC Irvine.
2022
Myers, S. and Emmott, E.H. A mixed methods exploration of access to support from across maternal social networks during the COVID-19 pandemic and its association with postnatal depressive symptoms: evidence from the UK. Talk at the Royal Anthropological Institute Mobilising Methods in Medical Anthropology conference, remote.
Myers, S. and Emmott, E.H. The presence and role of kin in maternal social networks in the UK – evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic. Talk at the European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association Conference, remote.
2021
Myers, S., Page, A.E., and Emmott, E.H. The differential role of practical and emotional support in breastfeeding outcomes and maternal experience in the UK. Talk at the European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association Conference, Krakow
Myers, S. and Emmott, E.H. Access to childcare support from across maternal social networks during the COVID-19 pandemic and its association with postnatal depressive symptoms: evidence from the UK. Talk at the International Society for Evolution, Medicine and Public Health Annual Meeting, remote
Myers, S. and Emmott, E.H. The presence and role of kin in maternal social networks in the UK – evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic. Talk at the British Society for Population Studies, remote
2020
Brown, L.J., Emmott, E.H., Myers, S., Page, A.E. Environmental experiences and women’s infant feeding journeys: A survival analysis using an online survey of UK mothers. Talk at the British Society for Population Studies Annual Conference, remote
2019
Myers, S., Stieglitz, J., and Gurven, M. Testing the bargaining model of depression in a forager-horticulturalist society. Talk at the European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association Conference, Toulouse
2018
Myers, S. and Johns, S.E. A life history perspective on maternal emotional investments during infancy. Talk at the Human Behavior and Evolution Society Conference, Amsterdam.
Johns, S.E. and Myers, S. Postnatal depression is associated with detrimental life-long and multi-generational impacts on relationship quality. Poster at the Human Behavior and Evolution Society Conference, Amsterdam
Emmott, E., Myers, S., and Page, A. Family vs. friends vs. health professionals: Postnatal support and breastfeeding outcomes in the UK. Talk at the Human Behavior and Evolution Society Conference, Amsterdam
Myers, S. and Johns, S.E. A life history perspective on maternal emotional investments during infancy. Talk at the European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association Conference, Pécs
2017
Myers, S. and Johns, S.E. A life history perspective on maternal emotional investments during infancy. Poster at the 5th Annual Toulouse Economics and Biology Workshop: The evolution and economics of the Family, Institute of Advanced Studies in Toulouse
Myers, S., Page, A., Dyble, M., and Migliano, A. Why so many Agta boys? Extreme sex ratios in Philippine foragers: a test of evolutionary hypotheses. Talk at the European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association Conference, École Normale Supérieure
Johns, S.E. and Myers, S. Male infants, risk, and postnatal depression – evidence for the Trivers Willard effect in a contemporary, low-fertility sample. Poster at the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, New Orleans
2016
Myers, S., Burger, O., Stieglitz, J., and Johns, S.E. Postnatal depression – weighing the evolutionary evidence. Talk at the British Association for Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology Conference, University of Kent
Myers, S., Burger, O., Stieglitz, J., and Johns, S.E. Postnatal depression – weighing the evolutionary evidence. Talk at the European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association Conference, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Johns, S.E. and Myers, S. Male infants, risk, and postnatal depression – evidence for the Trivers Willard effect in a contemporary, low-fertility sample. Poster at the European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association Conference, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
2015
Myers, S., Burger, O., and Johns, S.E. Postnatal depression and reproductive success in modern, low-fertility contexts. Talk at the Evolutionary Medicine Conference: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Human Health and Disease, University of Zurich
Myers, S., Burger, O., and Johns, S.E. Postnatal depression and reproductive success in modern, low-fertility contexts. Poster at the European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association Conference, University of Helsinki
Langsdale, S. and Myers, S. The evolution of reproductive fantasies: an interdisciplinary feminist analysis of Disney’s Tangled. Talk at Fantasy/Animation: A Conference on Media, Medium and Genre, King’s College London
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
PhD supervision x2 candidates.
University of Bristol
Population Health and Development (lecturer); Evolution and Human Behaviour (lecturer)
University of Oxford
MSc/MPhil Medical Anthropology Paper 2 – Biocultural Approaches to Medicine (lecturer)
City University London
PGDip Midwifery (lecturer)
University College London
Biosocial Approaches to Childrearing (course convenor and lecturer); Research Methods in Anthropology (lecturer); Being Human (tutor); Human Sciences Seminar Projects (dissertation supervisor); Individual Studies in Anthropology (dissertation supervisor); Biosocial Medical Anthropology (lecturer); Personal Tutor x2 PGT; Human Behavioural Ecology (seminar leader); Introduction to Biological Anthropology – Block 1 Evolutionary Theory, Block 2 Human Ecology (seminar leader); Methods and Techniques in Biological Anthropology (seminar leader); Research Methods in Evolutionary Anthropology (seminar leader)
University of Roehampton
Human Ecology and Adaptation; Hunter Gatherers and Human Evolution; Being Human; Special Topics in Anthropology; Biosciences Research Methods
University of Kent
Introduction to Biological Anthropology; Sex, Evolution, and Human Nature
SERVICE TO PROFESSION
Society Activity
Publicity and Website Officer for the European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association (2022 – 2025)
Guest Editorial
Sear, R., Page, A.E., and Myers, S. (In press). Special Collection on Scientific Racism. Evolutionary Human Sciences.
Emmott, E., Page, A.E., and Myers, S. (2021). Who cares? Multidisciplinary perspectives on social support and maternal-child health. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B. 376(1827)
Manuscript Peer Review
Journals: PeerJ; The Human Ethology Bulletin; Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health; Human Nature; Evolutionary Psychology; Evolutionary Human Sciences; Paediatric & Perinatal Epidemiology; PLOS ONE; International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health; Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B.; American Journal of Human Biology; Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology; Healthcare; Archives of Women’s Mental Health; BMC Public Health; Frontiers in Global Women’s Health
Books: Human Evolutionary Demography; Human Behavioral Ecology
Conference/Workshop Organisation
Evolutionary Demography of Human Reproduction Symposium, International Society for Evolutionary Medicine and Public Health Annual Meeting, symposium organiser, 2024
European Human Evolution and Behaviour Association Conference, organising committee, 2022-23
Who cares? Multidisciplinary perspectives on social support and maternal-child health, LSHTM and UCL, webinar organizer, 2021
Who cares? Introducing evolutionary approaches to caregiving and mother-infant health, EHBEA and UCL Anthropology, workshop organizer, 2019
British Association for Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology Conference, assistant, 2016
European Human Evolution and Behaviour Association Conference, assistant, 2016
MEDIA COVERAGE
Live broadcast: Channel 5 – 5News, BBC Radio Four – Woman’s Hour
Written coverage – widespread, including: The Independent, The Daily Telegraph, The Sun, The Daily Mail, Huffington Post, iflscience.com, ScienceDaily, WebMD, Nursing Times, Royal College of Midwives
IMPACT
Presentation of FGMC findings to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) delegation
Scientific advisor to Dr Mairi Macleod’s The Science of Success for Women – consultancy service using evolutionary approaches to strengthen female positions in corporate settings
Scientific advisor to the MIGHTYmini theatre company’s mother and baby project
Top 5 most read PeerJ article in 2018, categories of ‘Psychiatry, psychology, and public health’, ‘Women’s health’, and ‘Anthropology’
PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
Advanced quantitative analysis – R, Stan, SPSS
Ego-centric social network analysis – ESRC NCRM Collecting and Analysing Ego Network Data course, 2019
Longitudinal data analysis – ESRC NCRM Longitudinal Data Analysis course, 2014
Questionnaire design – Centre for Applied Social Surveys Questionnaire Design course, 2013 Management – Introduction to Management qualification, Institute of Leadership and Management, 2011
