
Benjamin Campbell
Degree(s)
PhD, Biological Anthropology, Harvard University, 1990
MA, Anthropology, Harvard University, 1986
MA, Zoology, Indiana University, 1983
BA, Biology, Indiana University, 1982
Courses Taught
Anthro 203 - Indigenous Religion
Anthro 301 - Human Evolution and Variation
Anthro 404 - Hormones and Behavior
Anthro 406: Evolutionary Biology & Human Diseases
Anthro 407 - Neuroanthropology
Anthro 446: Child in Different Cultures
Research
My research falls in with life history; the evolutionary study of the human life course. I focus on steroid hormones as a critical link between energetics, the brain and the timing of childhood growth, pubertal maturation, and senescence. My early work included fieldwork among Turkana and Ariaal pastoralists of northern Kenya, as well as school boys in Zimbabwe. I focused on the impact of ecological factors on hormones (mostly testosterone) on male puberty and aging. Since then, I have shifted my attention to adrenarche (the onset of adrenal DHEAS production) and its role in middle childhood, including a series of theoretical papers suggesting that the emergence of middle childhood is related to the impact of DHEAS on brain development in humans and the great apes. Most recently, I have begun to explore the development of adiposity among foraging population for what they can tell us about the evolution of energetic trade-offs in human growth and development. I have also supervised graduate students on topics ranging from primate growth, development & reproduction, to the understanding of evolution among museum patrons and college students, to chronic pain among global war on terrorism veterans.
Link to my ResearchGate site
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Benjamin-Campbell-5
Other Relevant Activities
Co-organizer, Human Migration Conference, University of Kansas, March 1 & 2, 2010
Selected Publications
Campbell B.C., Hackman, J.V., Kramer, K.L. (2023) Development of Adiposity among Ju/’Hoansi Hunter-Gatherers. American Journal of Biological Anthropology 18(2):173-181.