Welcome!

Introduction

I am a broadly trained evolutionary anthropologist and my research focuses on the behavioral ecology of hunter-gatherers. I am interested in learning how basic challenges of survival and reproduction that arise from life as a hunter-gatherer have shaped human biology, behavior, and culture. I have been carrying out research with the Hadza community of northern Tanzania since 2004. My research is interdisciplinary and involves a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods. Foraging and food sharing, mobility, and social organization are core themes of my research. I also study the demography and life history of our closest primate relatives, wild chimpanzees. At UCLA, I teach classes on the topics of human evolution, human behavioral ecology, hunter-gatherers, quantitative analysis, and software development for data collection and analysis.

To learn more, feel free to browse through my research, publications, news, and information for prospective students.

Hadza Fund

In addition to my academic work, I serve as the president of the non-profit organization The Hadza Fund, a 501c(3) organization that I founded with Herman Pontzer. The Hadza Fund provides crucial services to the Hadza community, including an ambulance service, health outreach, mosquito net deliveries, first aid, and payments for hospital care. These efforts provide targeted outreach and healthcare to a community that would otherwise have very limited access to modern medical services. Many lives have been saved through this work, and our initiatives are strongly supported by the Hadza community.

Associate Professor

brianwood@anthro.ucla.edu

Education

Postdoc, Ecological Anthropology, Stanford University, 2010-2012

Ph.D. Anthropology, Harvard University, 2006-2010

M.Sc. Computer Science, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, 2001-2004

B.A. Anthropology, University of California, Davis, 1995-1999