Elizabeth Agey

Elizabeth Agey is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), part of the College of Letters & Science. Her research focuses on evolutionary perspectives of mate choice, arranged marriages, parenting decisions, and family dynamics. She holds a PhD in Anthropology from UCSB (2023), an MA from UCSB (2019), and a BA from the University of Northern Iowa (2015). Prior to her faculty role, she was a postdoctoral researcher in UCSB's Computational Mate Choice Lab within the Psychology Department.

Her work combines qualitative and quantitative methods, including field experiments in Dhading, Nepal, and leverages machine learning for data analysis. She examines how parental influence shapes partner choice in arranged marriages, impacting reproductive outcomes, health, and wellbeing. Current projects include comparative studies between Nepalese populations and groups in the U.S., emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches.

Her research highlights themes such as parent-offspring negotiation, socioeconomic benefits of arranged marriages, and cross-cultural decision-making dynamics. She is affiliated with UCSB's Computational Mate Choice Lab and has contributed to studies on shame universality and mating preferences across cultural contexts.