ERIC ALDEN SMITH
Curriculum Vitae (abbreviated)
May 2017


Education
University of California at Santa Barbara, B.A. (1972), Anthropology
Cornell University, M.A. (1976), Ph.D. (1980), Anthropology

Professional Employment
2013-present   Professor Emeritus, Department of Anthropology, U of Washington
1993-2012 Professor, Department of Anthropology, U of Washington
2002-03    Associate Director, Center for Studies in Demography & Ecology
1996-2000 Director, Graduate Program in Environmental Anthropology, U of Washington
1986-1993 Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, U of Washington
1987-1990 Graduate Program Coordinator, Department of Anthropology, U of Washington
1980-1986 Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, U of Washington


Funded Research

  • Co-P.I., National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS): Working group on "Emergence of Hierarchy and Leadership in Mammalian Societies" (2013-2015)
  • Center for Studies in Demography & Ecology seed grant: Emergence of inequality: Agent-based models and empirical evaluations, $32,390 (2010-11)
  • Co-P.I., National Science Foundation IGERT Grant BCS-0314284: Model-based approaches to biological and cultural evolution, $3,072,617 (DGE-0549425; joint program with Washington State U.; Tim Kohler, PI; sub-award to UW Anthropology = $947,898) (2006-2011)
  • P.I., National Science Foundation Grant BCS-0314284: Evolutionary game theory and agent-based modeling, $49,994 (2003-2004)
  • Co-P.I., National Science Foundation Grant BCS-0314406: The ecology of production, reproduction, and cooperation among the Mardu," $275,000 (2003-2005)
  • P.I., National Science Foundation Grant SBR-9616096: Meriam Foraging & Reproductive Strategies, $190,000 (1997-2001)
  • P.I., National Science Foundation Grant SBR-9616887: Ethnoarchaeology of Marine Foraging among the Meriam, $100,000 (1997-99)
  • Royalty Research Fund, University of Washington: Evolutionary game theory and agent-based modeling (2001-02)
  • NSF Dissertation Improvement Grants (10 doctoral students, 2001-2012)
  • EPA STAR fellowships (2 doctoral students)
  • Wenner-Gren Foundation (1 doctoral student) and Fulbright Awards (2 doctoral students)

(For more information, see Research Statement)


Publications: see separate list


Selected Conference Presentations and Invited Papers (2000 and later only)

  • "Cooperative turtle hunting and sharing among the Meriam."  Invited paper in symposium on "Evolutionary approaches to human cooperative hunting," organized by Michael Alvard. American Anthropological Association, annual meeting (San Francisco, November 2000)
  • "Signaling generosity and willingness to punish," Human Behavior and Evolution Society, 12th Annual Meeting (Amherst College, June 2000)
  • MacArthur workshop on evolutionary economics and strong reciprocity, Santa Fe Institute (Santa Fe, March 2001)
  • "Why do good hunters have higher reproductive success?," Human Behavior and Evolution Society, 13th Annual Meeting (University College London, June 2001)
  • "Human cooperation: perspectives from behavioral ecology," Dahlem Conference on “Genetic and Cultural Evolution of Cooperation” (Berlin, June 2002)
  • "Why do better hunters have higher reproductive success?"  Invited paper in symposium on "Human Behavioral Ecology," American Anthropological Association, (New Orleans, November 2002)
  • "Communication and collective action." Invited plenary address, Human Behavior and Evolution Society, 15th Annual Meeting (U of Nebraska, June 2003)
  • "Language and patterns of human cooperation." Invited paper for presidential symposium on "Evolutionary approaches to cooperation and competition," American Anthropological Association (Chicago, November 2003)
  • "Reputation, signaling, and collective action." Evolution and Behavior Colloquium Series, U of New Mexico, Depts. of Anthropology, Biology, and Psychology (February 2004)
  • "The emergence of inequality in small-scale societies: Simple scenarios and agent-based simulations," Santa Fe Institute Workshop (October 2004)
  • "Modeling the emergence of inequality: Evolutionary game theory and agent-based simulations," Stanford Institute for Research in the Social Sciences: Workshop on Ecology and Health (November 2004)
  • Co-organizer and chair, Presidential Session on "Evolution of Inequality," and presenting paper on "Patrons, clients and managerial specialists: Agent-based models and evolutionary game theory," American Anthropological Association (San Jose, November 2006)
  • "The evolution of inequality: game-theoretical and simulation models." European Human Behaviour and Evolution Conference (London, March 2007)
  • "The evolution of inequality in Native North America: preliminary tests of game-theoretical and simulation models." Talk at Centre on Evolution of Cultural Diversity (University College London, March 2007)
  • "Why are humans so cooperative?  Signaling, reputation and symbolic communication." Trilience Conference on Biological Origins of Human Group Behavior (Caltech, November 2008)
  • "Large-scale cooperation in small-scale societies."  Behavior, Evolution, and Cognition Seminar Series (UCLA, May 2010)
  • Invited presentation to Roundtable on "Advocacy and Science in Evolutionary Anthropology," American Anthropological Association, (New Orleans, November 2010)
  • "(How) do ecology and institutions shape wealth transmission and inequality? Cross-cultural analayses," Santa Fe Institute Workshop (February 2012)
  • "The emergence of inequality in small-scale societies," NIMBioS Workshop on Human Ultra-sociality (Knoxville TN, February 2012)

  • "Ecology, institutions and wealth transmission: SFI and SCSS datasets compared." Santa Fe Institute Workshop on Inter-generational Transmission of Wealth in Pre-modern Societies (Santa Fe, February 2013)
     

Professional Service

Teaching (recent offerings)*

  • ANTH 210: Environmental Anthropology
  • ANTH 310: Native North America
  • ANTH/BIOL 320: Game theory, evolution, and behavior (with Carl Bergstrom)
  • ANTH 424: Hunter-Gatherer Societies
  • ANTH 457: Ecological Anthropology
  • BIO A 470: Evolution of Human Social Behavior
  • BIOA 475: Environmental impacts of small-scale societies (with Don Grayson)
  • BIO A 520: Human Behavioral Ecology
  • ANTH 570: Environmental Anthropology

*(Note that I am now retired from teaching; for more information on my past teaching, see teaching statement)