Paula Sheppard

Paula Sheppard

Lecturer in Biological and Quantitative Anthropology, University of Bristol

I study why people have the families they do, and how biology, culture and circumstance shape reproduction, health and childhood.

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Portrait of Paula Sheppard

About

I am an evolutionary anthropologist and behavioural ecologist working across anthropology, health, reproductive ecology and family demography. My research takes a biocultural approach: the interplay between biology and culture is central to explaining variation in reproductive behaviour, health outcomes and human life histories.

My recent work asks why people in low-fertility countries start families later than they would like, and what would help them. More generally I am interested in the behavioural ecology of families, maternal and child health, and evolutionary medicine. I have taught quantitative methods and evolutionary medicine and public health to undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Positions

Current positions

2026 to present
Lecturer in Biological and Quantitative AnthropologyUniversity of Bristol
2026 to present
Visiting FellowThe Policy Institute, King's College London
2026 to present
Research FellowThe Kinsey Institute, Indiana University
September 2026
Visiting FellowINVEST Flagship Research Centre, University of TurkuSupported the Finnish part of my current research on reproductive decision-making.

Earlier positions

2016 to 2026
Postdoctoral researcher, then Lecturer in Evolutionary Anthropology and the Human SciencesUniversity of Oxford
2014 to 2016
Postdoctoral Research AssociateLondon School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
2013 to 2014
Quantitative Research ConsultantThe Kinsey Institute

Education

2010 to 2014
PhD in Evolutionary AnthropologyLondon School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
2009 to 2010
MSc in Social Research MethodsLondon School of Economics
2008 to 2009
MSc in Cognitive and Evolutionary AnthropologyUniversity of Oxford
2004 to 2008
BSc (Hons) Anthropology, first classUniversity of East London

Funding and awards

2026
British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship"The barriers to reproduction in the UK: Five years later"
2026
INVEST Visiting FellowshipUniversity of Turku
2021
John Fell Fund Large GrantUniversity of Oxford

Research

One paper published, another in preparation

Lockdown study

How parents of toddlers experienced the UK lockdowns, from fathers at home to grandparents kept away.

Read about the project

All research, including earlier work

News

Societies and service