Sarah Johns

I received my doctorate from the University of Bristol after completing an MPhil in biological anthropology at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge and an undergraduate degree in anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania. I am a broadly trained anthropologist with research experience in palaeoarchaeology, human reproductive behaviour, and the evolutionary psychology of human reproductive decision making. My primary research interest is in the variation of the age at first birth in humans, specifically focusing on teenage mothers, and how public health policy and evolutionary theory can be integrated.

My PhD research, which was funded in part by the Gloucestershire Health Authority and the Department of Health, was an empirical investigation into whether teenage motherhood is the result of an evolved reproductive strategy that allows for variation in life history event timings, as predicted by evolutionary anthropological theory. Specifically, I tested the hypothesis that having children at an earlier age may promote lineage survival when the environment is unstable and risky, and personal future is uncertain. In addition, I investigated a possible psychological mechanism linking environment and behaviour in this context. I believe research that links both function and mechanism is the future direction for evolutionary studies of human behaviour, and my research is pushing the boundaries of the field in this direction.

I am keen to promote public understanding of evolutionary theory, particularly how it relates to human behaviour. My work has received widespread press coverage and I am available to provide topical comment or in-depth discussion of topics related to human evolution & behaviour, evolutionary psychology, human sexuality, and teenage pregnancy.