Research

The Department of Anthropology is composed of three subfields: Archaeology, Biological Anthropology, and Sociocultural Anthropology. We are dedicated to better understanding human cultural and biological origins and diversity through research and training, and our faculty is committed to the advancement of knowledge through local, national, and international programs of research.


Two women working in a factory

International Recognition

We have been funded by the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, World Health Organization, and various private foundations and international agencies, and our work has been published in Nature, Science, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. We are highly interdisciplinary natural scientists with ongoing collaborations with one another, other anthropological subfields, researchers across the UO campus, and scientists around the world.


Our Research Labs

The Department of Anthropology is distinctive in its integration of the anthropological subfields via five areas of expertise and focus: Evolution, Ecology, and Environment; Indigenous and Minoritized Groups; Food, Health, and Society; Identity, Heritage, and Globalization; and Sex, Gender, and Sexuality. We have multiple labs across campus with ongoing research, as well as research projects happening across the world.


Larry Ulibarri

"Our students success starts in the classroom, arming them with knowledge, the scientific method, and feeding their hopes and passions. Beyond the classroom our campus is full of resources and opportunities: advising, career building, research, travel, grad school prep, internships, grants, clubs, and more. I get to help students live and build their dream."

-Larry Ulibarri, Professor of Biological Anthropology 



Research Across Disciplines

Our cultural program is highly interdisciplinary and involves collaborations with the other anthropological subfields, with researchers across campus, and with international scholars. The research experience and skills students gain can be used in careers in law, medicine, education, government, business, and other fields.

Interdisciplinary Opportunities


Recent Publications

Read the recently published work of faculty across the department.

Recent Publications


News

September 6, 2023
ANTHROPOLOGY - University of Oregon researchers are teaming up with scientists throughout the US to study the most recent mass extinction—the one in the late Cretaceous that killed the dinosaurs—to prepare for a future one caused by humans.
August 11, 2023
The UO’s Environment Initiative has awarded seed funding to five new teaching projects to support faculty members who have proposed innovative courses and dynamic classroom experiences. The funding supports both research and curricular projects and focuses the intellectual energy and work of faculty, students and community partners on a just and livable future through transdisciplinary research, teaching and experiential learning.
July 13, 2023
ANTHROPOLOGY - Todd Braje earned a doctorate in archaeology at the University of Oregon in 2007, and now he’s been selected to return to the UO to lead the Museum of Natural and Cultural History.