David Tracer

David Tracer serves as Chair and Professor in the Department of Anthropology within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Colorado Denver. A biological anthropologist specializing in human ecology, his research examines how environmental and contextual factors influence human biology and behavior through evolutionary, economic, and anthropological frameworks.

His educational background includes:

• Ph.D. in Anthropology (Biological) from University of Michigan (1991)
• M.A. in Anthropology (Biological) from University of Michigan (1985)
• B.A. in Anthropology (Magna Cum Laude with High Honors) from Brandeis University (1984)

Tracer's research spans two primary domains: biological anthropology focusing on maternal/child health, nutrition, growth, and fertility determinants; and behavioral ecology investigating life history theory, decision-making, and social norms including reciprocity, altruism, and punishment. His fieldwork predominantly involves the Au lowland forager-horticulturalists of Papua New Guinea, with additional work among Bedouins in Israel and populations in the US/Europe. Current teaching includes Introduction to Public Health, Biological Anthropology, and Human Ecology courses.

His recent publications (2014-2024) reveal consistent focus on evolutionary perspectives of breastfeeding, infant care practices, prenatal stress impacts, and experimental studies of fairness norms in small-scale societies. The work demonstrates strong interdisciplinary integration of biological anthropology with experimental economics, particularly through cross-cultural examinations of social decision-making in Papua New Guinea.

Tracer actively contributes to academic discourse through editorial work, notably co-editing Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Fairness, Equity and Justice (Springer, 2017), and maintains research collaborations across multiple continents while directing departmental activities as Chair.