Rebecca Burch

Rebecca Burch is a Professor in the Department of Human Development at the State University of New York at Oswego. She holds a Ph.D. in Evolution and Human Behavior from SUNY Albany and has over 20 years of teaching experience at SUNY Oswego, having previously taught at SUNY Albany and Colby College.

Her research focuses on the evolution of sexual behavior, intimate partner violence, cultural variations in human behaviors, and media representations of bodies. She examines sexual signaling, genital morphology, dating strategies, and hypersexualization in comic books. Currently, she participates in multinational research on personality traits and behaviors.

Her research spans evolutionary psychology, biological anthropology, and media studies, with recent work exploring physiological responses, cultural representations, and relationship dynamics. Her publications consistently examine human behavior through evolutionary frameworks.

Awards and Honors:

• President’s Award for Excellence in Scholarly and Creative Activity
• President’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service
• President’s Award for Excellence in Academic Advisement
• SUNY Exploration In Diversity and Academic Excellence Award
• Resident Hall Association Award for Excellence in Faculty Service
• Martin Luther King Community Service Award
• Outstanding Advisor of the Year (twice)
• Recognition Award for Dedication to Diversity (three times)

She has supervised numerous students in research leading to presentations and awards, organized 9 conferences and 75 campus events, and delivered 56 invited talks. Dr. Burch has held leadership roles in the Northeastern Evolutionary Psychology Society and Feminist Evolutionary Perspectives Society.