Dr David Waynforth

Job Title	Contact	Location
Senior Lecturer	D dot Waynforth at uea dot ac dot uk Tel: +44 (0)1603 59 3047	Medical School 2.06A

Personal
Research
Teaching
Publications
External
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Biography

I am a biological anthropologist by training, currently conducting research on how evolutionary theory can be applied to help understand variation in health-risk behaviours, reproductive behaviour, and parenting.

Career

2006-present: Senior Lecturer in Medicine & Behaviour, Department of Public Health & Primary Care, The Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, UK.
2002-2006: Lecturer, Department of Psychology, University of Durham, UK.
2000-2001: Visiting Associate Professor of Anthropology, International Research Center for Japanese Studies, Kyoto, Japan.
1999-2002: Adjunct Assistant Professor of Biological Anthropology, University of New Mexico, USA.

Professional Qualifications and professional memberships

1999. Ph.D. in Biological Anthropology, University of New Mexico, USA.
1995. MS. in Biological Anthropology, University of New Mexico, USA.
1992. BSc. with Honours in Biological Anthropology, University College London.

Research Interests

Evolution, behaviour, health & disease.
Life history theory, behavioural ecology, & evolutionary psychology.
Parenting & family relationships.
Sexuality and risky behaviours.
Physiological stress responses & stress-immunity interactions.

Selected publications

Waynforth, D. (2012) Grandparental investment and reproductive decisions in the 1970 longitudinal British Birth Cohort Study. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Biological Sciences 279: 1155-1160.

Waynforth, D. (2012) Religious observance and illness in Mayan horticulturalists. Behavioral and Brain Sciences 35: 38-39 (commentary article).

Waynforth, D. (2012) Evolutionary perspectives on fatherhood. Handbook of Father Involvement, 2nd edition. Eds. Catherine S. Tamis-LeMonda and Natasha Cabrera. Taylor & Francis.

Waynforth, D. (2011) Mate-choice and sexual selection. In: Evolutionary Psychology: A Critical Introduction. Ed. Viren Swami, Wiley-Blackwell, London.

Waynforth, D. (2010) Evolution, obesity, and why children so often choose the unhealthy eating option. Medical Hypotheses 74: 934-6.

Key Research Interests

Primary Research Interests:

Biological psychology, family relationships, mate-choice, physiological stress, hormonal correlates of behaviour, evolutionary life-history theory.

My research has largely focused on searching for evidence that evolution has produced human behaviours that are altered in predictable ways by variation in environment. An implication of my work is that human behaviours often viewed as cultural or caused by environment or nurture are in fact inextricably linked to genes.

Research Group Members

Primary Care Group

Teaching Interests

My primary teaching interest is helping medical students to explore the evolutionary and social root-causes of behaviour, especially health-risk behaviours, to help future doctors better understand their patients, including their motivations and treatment compliance.

Past courses taught

The evolution of human behaviour (upper level undergraduate)
Social psychology (undergraduate)
Differential psychology (undergraduate)
Research methods in psychology (introductory undergraduate)
The evolution of human sexuality (upper level undergraduate and postgraduate)
Evolutionary perspectives on men (upper level undergraduate and postgraduate)
Evolution and human emergence (undergraduate introduction to biological anthropology)

Current teaching

MB/BS Unit 1 lead.
MB/BS Studies Outside Medicine lead.
MB/BS Psychology SSS advisor.
MB/BS Year 2 Analytical Review Marker.

Post-graduate advising

PhD. External examiner: Fhionna Moore, Department of Psychology, University of St. Andrews, 2006. Topic: The effects of female control of resources on sex differentiated mate preferences.
PhD. External examiner: Lynda Boothroyd, Department of Psychology, University of St. Andrews, 2004. Topic: father absence and female reproductive strategies.
MSc. Internal examiner: Nicholas Tester, Department of Psychology, University of Durham, 2004. Topic: digit ratio and human performance.
MSc. Internal examiner: Peter Brown, Department of Anthropology, University of Durham, 2004. Topic: socio-sexual behaviour in Bonobos.
PhD. External examiner: Yasuo Ihara, Department of Anthropology, University of Tokyo, 2001. Topic: MHC and human mate-choice.

Teaching Activities

Deputy lead, MBBS Module 10 (Growth and Development)

Deputy lead, MBBS Sociology theme

Lead, MBBS Studies Outside Medicine

Jump to: Article | Book Section

Number of items: 10.

Article

Waynforth, D (2011) Grandparental investment and reproductive decisions in the longitudinal 1970 British cohort study. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. ISSN 0962-8452

Waynforth, DC (2010) Evolution, obesity, and why children so often choose the unhealthy eating option. Medical Hypotheses 74, 74 (5). pp. 934-936.

Waynforth, DC (2007) The influence of parent-infant co-sleeping, nursing, and childcare on cortisal and SlgA immunity in a sample of British Children. Developmental Psychobiology, 49 (6). pp. 640-648.

Waynforth, DC (2007) Mate-choice copying in humans. Human Nature, 18 (3). pp. 264-271.

Waynforth, DC, Delwadia, S and Camm, M (2005) The influence of women's mating strategies on preference for masculine facial architecture. Evolution and Human Behavior, 26 (5). pp. 409-416.

Waynforth, DC (2002) Fluctuating asymmetry and alternative mating tactics in men: are nice guys simply losers in the competition for mates? Mate Choice and Marital Patterns in Modern and Prehistoric Societies.

Waynforth, DC (2001) Mate-choice trade-offs and women's preference for physically attractive men. Human Nature, 12 (3). pp. 207-219.

Book Section

Waynforth, DC (2002) Evolutionary theory and reproductive responses to father absence: implications of kin selection and the reproductive returns to mating and parenting effort. In: Handbook of Father Involvement: Multidisciplinary Perspectives. Lawrence Erlbaum, pp. 337-357. ISBN 0805837027

Waynforth, DC Evolutionary perspectives on fatherhood. In: Handbook of Father Involvement, 2nd Edition. Taylor & Francis. (In Press)

Waynforth, DC Mate-choice and sexual selection. In: Evolutionary Psychology: A Critical Introduction. Wiley-Bleckwell, London. (In Press)

This list was generated on Fri May 25 09:40:03 2012 BST.

External Activities and Indicators of Esteem

prestigious personal fellowships

invited named lectures and key note addresses

chairing or positions on national or international bodies, review boards, funding bodies, NHS advisory committees

editorial activities (including, for example, membership of the editorial boards of journals)

activities that have impacted on government policy, national or international practice development

honours or awards to you as an individual in recognition of your research/ teaching or professional activities

key collaborations/networks that you are a member of which are of national or international standing

Professional Activities

2000: Organising Committee Member, Kyoto International Symposium on Human Mate Choice and Prehistoric Marital Networks. Held at the International Research Center for Japanese Studies, Kyoto, Japan.

1995: Human Evolutionary Ecology Representative to the University of New Mexico Graduate Student Union.

1993: Member, Human Behavior and Evolution Society

December 2003: “Facial testosterone cues and human male attractiveness” University of Central Lancashire, Psychology Seminar Series.

February 2003: University of Liverpool, Department of Biology. “Childcare constraints and human reproductive decisions”

November 2002: University College London, Department of Anthropology, Biological Anthropology Seminar Series. “Direct parental care, fertility levels and demographic transition”

October 2002: University of Durham, Department of Anthropology, Biological Anthropology Seminar Series. “Alternative male mating tactics in humans”.

Review activities (2001-) Occasional reviewer for: ESRC, The National Science Foundation (NSF), Proceedings of the Royal Society of London (Biology), Evolution and Human Behavior, Aggressive Behavior, Human Nature, Annals of Human Biology, Journal of Ethology.

Administrative Posts/Responsibilities

MB/BS Psychology Theme member

MB/BS Timetabling Committee member

UEA

Academic

Norwich Medical School