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
University College London, Department of Anthropology, Postdoctoral Teaching Assistant, 2017 – present
Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust and University of Essex, Research Assistant, 2018 – present
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 College London, Department of Anthropology, Honorary Research Associate, 2017 – present
PUBLICATIONS
Refereed Journal Articles
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
Myers, S., Burger, O., and Johns, S.E. (2017). Reply to Hagen and Thornhill. Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health 2017(1): 24-26
Reports
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
Pre-Registered Studies
Myers, S., Page, A.E., and Emmott, E.H. The differential role of practical and emotional support in breastfeeding outcomes and maternal experience. Study pre-registered on OSF; DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/B4YX2 Part of the Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B. special issue: Emmott, E., Page, A.E., and Myers, S. (In Prep) ‘Who cares? Multidisciplinary perspectives on social support and maternal-child health’
Page, A.E., Emmott, E.H., and Myers, S. Testing the buffering hypothesis: breastfeeding problems, cessation and social support. Study pre-registered on OSF; DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/74ERF
Manuscripts in Review
Myers, S. and Johns, S.E. Social support and emotional resources predict facets of maternal-infant bonding in a new capital-based model of maternal investment.
AWARDS
2020 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
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
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
University College London – Postgraduate Teaching Assistant
Human Behavioural Ecology; Introduction to Biological Anthropology; Methods and Techniques in Biological Anthropology
University of Roehampton – Visiting Lecturer
Human Ecology and Adaptation; Hunter Gatherers and Human Evolution; Being Human; Special Topics in Anthropology; Biosciences Research Methods
University of Kent –Graduate Teaching Assistant/Assistant Lecturer
Introduction to Biological Anthropology; Sex, Evolution, and Human Nature
SERVICE TO PROFESSION
Manuscript Peer Review
Journals: PeerJ – https://peerj.com/SarahMyers/; The Human Ethology Bulletin; Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health; Human Nature; Evolutionary Psychology
Books: Human Evolutionary Demography; Human Behavioral Ecology
Conference/Workshop Organisation
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
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 – SPSS and R
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
