Monique Borgerhoff Mulder

Monique Borgerhoff Mulder serves as Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Davis, External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute, and affiliate of the Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology (Leipzig). Elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2021, her work bridges theoretical and applied anthropology through longitudinal field studies in East Africa and cross-cultural comparative analyses.

Her educational background includes:

• MA in Social Anthropology (University of Edinburgh)
• PhD in Anthropology (Northwestern University)

As a pioneering human behavioral ecologist, Borgerhoff Mulder specializes in empirical testing of evolutionary hypotheses regarding marriage systems, parental investment, and demographic transitions. Her research examines variability within and between populations to challenge misconceptions about evolutionary approaches to human behavior, while increasingly focusing on applied projects with East African NGOs for community-based natural resource management. Current work centers on the dynamics of wealth inequality and co-evolution of individual behaviors with social institutions.

Her scientific recognition includes:

• Election to the National Academy of Sciences (2021)

Borgerhoff Mulder maintains extensive collaborations with economists, biologists, and conservation scientists, extending evolutionary insights into inequality studies and institutional development for natural resource management. Her fieldwork integrates with local organizations to strengthen community-based resource governance frameworks, reflecting her commitment to translating theoretical research into practical solutions.

Though specific lab structures aren't detailed, her research operates through field teams in East Africa and institutional partnerships with the Max Planck Institute and Santa Fe Institute, emphasizing interdisciplinary modeling approaches for anthropological comparative methods.