The Biobehavioral Health Laboratory is a resource for those interested in the intersection of life and social sciences. It facilitates the integration of methods from evolutionary biology, anthropology, biodemography, and genomics to better understand health and physiology across the life course in both human populations and other social species. This BSL-2 lab is fully equipped to measure aspects of immune function, disease and infection, psychosocial stress, nutritional status, and reproductive ecology to explore different components of individual and population health. Specializing in high-throughput biomarker quantification in various sample media (e.g., blood sera, blood spots, saliva, urine, and feces), this facility serves UCSB researchers and others interested in biological aspects of health in clinical, field, and experimental settings. The lab specializes in enzyme-linked and radioimmunoassays, flow cytometry, and DNA isolation, quantification and genotyping. The facilities can also be adapted to process many commercial assays depending on particular research needs.

The laboratory is currently co-directed by Associate Professor Amy Boddy and Assistant Professor Nic Thompson González. For inquiries, please contact Nic Thompson González. The Biobehavioral Health Laboratory was founded by Broom Center Biodemography Area Director Professor Michael Gurven in 2012.