ERIC ALDEN SMITH
Curriculum Vitae (abbreviated)
August 2006


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

Professional Employment
1993-present Professor, Department of Anthropology, U of Washington
Associate Director, Center for Studies in Demography & Ecology (2002-03)
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 (last 10 years)

  • 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 (6 doctoral students)
  • EPA STAR fellowships (2 doctoral students)
  • Wenner-Gren Foundation  and Fulbright Award (1 doctoral student each)

(For more information, see Research Statement)


Publications: see separate list


Selected Conference Presentations and Invited Papers (last 10 years only)

  • "Exploring the links between biological and cultural diversity." Invited paper at Wenner-Gren conference on "Endangered Knowledge, Endangered Languages, Endangered Environments" (UC Berkeley, October 1996).
  • Organizer: "Threats to Biological & Cultural Diversity: Social Causes & Consequences." UW Visiting Lecturer Series (Autumn Quarter 1996).
  • "Three styles in the evolutionary study of human behavior. Invited paper in symposium on "Evolutionary Biology and Human Behavior, Twenty Years Later," organized by Lee Cronk, William Irons, and Napoleon Chagnon. Amer. Anthropological Association, annual meeting (San Francisco, November 1996).
  • Organizer and chair: "Human Behavioral Ecology: What Have We Learned?" American Association for the Advancement of Science, Annual Meeting (Seattle, February 1997).
  • "The strategy of model-building in human behavioral ecology" Lecture series in Evolutionary Social Science, Center for Evolutionary Psychology, UC Santa Barbara (October 1997).
  • MacArthur workshop on evolutionary economics and strong reciprocity, Department of Economics, University of Massachusetts (Amherst, October 1998).
  • "The evolutionary ecology of generosity: Costly signaling and public goods," Evolution and Human Adaptation Program Lecture Series, Institute of Social Research, University of Michigan (February 1999)
  • Invited paper (co-authored with Rebecca Bliege Bird) on "The hunting handicap: Costly signaling and sexual selection," sponsored forum on "One Hundred Years of Conspicuous Consumption." Society for American Archaeology (SAA) 64th Annual Meeting (Chicago, March 1999).
  • Conference on "The Biology of Belief: Has Evolution Shaped a Capacity for Strategic Subjective Commitment?" Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan (April 1999).
  • Organizer and chair: "Alternative approaches to the evolution of cooperation," Human Behavior and Evolution Society, 11th annual meeting (Salt Lake City, June 1999).
  • "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)
     

Professional Service

  • Board Member, Society for Economic Anthropology (1990-1993)
  • National Organizing Committee, Sixth International Conference on Hunting and Gathering Societies (1989-1990)
  • International Organizing Committee, Seventh International Conference on Hunting and Gathering Societies (1991-1993)
  • Associate Editor, Evolutionary Anthropology (1994-present)
  • Associate Editor, Human Nature: Biosocial Perspectives (2000-present)
  • Editor Advisory Board, Evolution and Human Behavior (2006-present)
  • Associate Director, UW Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology (2002-03)
  • Senior review panel, Cultural Anthropology Program, National Science Foundation (2002-2005)
  • Advisory Board, Short Courses on Research Methods in Cultural Anthropology, Duke University/NSF (2004-present)
  • President, Evolutionary Anthropology Society, American Anthropological Association
  • Publications Committee Chair, Human Behavior & Evolution Society (2005-present)
     

Teaching (recent & current offerings)*

*(Note: links may not be active for courses not recently or currently taught)

(For more information on teaching, see teaching statement)