Email: robtennyson@gmail.com
Twitter: @RobTennyson_PhD
Appointments and Education
2024 – Current Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Principal Investigator: Amanda Lea
2023 – 2024 Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, Principal Investigators: Jennifer Graham-Engeland, Christopher G. Engeland
2022 – Current Postdoctoral Fellow, Sociology Department, University of Utah, The Vietnam Health and Aging Study, Principal Investigators: Alan A. Cohen (Columbia University), Zachary Zimmer (Mount Saint Vincent University), Kim Korinek (University of Utah)
2022 Ph.D. Biological Anthropology, University of Washington, Committee: Dan T.A. Eisenberg (Chair), Bettina Shell-Duncan, Patricia Kramer, Sara Lopez, Zaneta Thayer (Dartmouth University)
2022 Graduate Certificate in Demographic Methods, Center for Studies of Demography and Ecology, University of Washington
2017 M.A. Biological Anthropology, University of Washington, Reading Committee: Dan T.A. Eisenberg, Bettina Shell-Duncan
2010 A.B. Human Evolutionary Biology; Mind, Brain, and Behavior, Harvard College, Honors in Field, Honors Advisors: Richard Wrangham, Joyce Benenson
Publications
In Preparation and In Review
13. Kunkle A, Tennyson RL, Wander K, McDade TW, Shell-Duncan B, Eisenberg DTA. (In Preparation). An ADHD-associated polymorphism in the DRD4 gene and nutritional status among Rendille children in northern Kenya. Preregistration and initial results are posted on Open Science Frameworks: https://osf.io/p8yv2.
12. Tennyson RL, Ryan CP, Kuzawa CW, Eisenberg DTA. (In Preparation). Does maternal early life stress predict young adult offspring’s biological age in the Philippines? Preregistration and initial results are posted on Open Science Frameworks: https://osf.io/2pmhy/.
11. Tennyson RL, Nanda AN*, Gildee CM, K Rainsberger*, Eisenberg DTA. (In Preparation). Does physical activity moderate the association between childhood psychosocial stress and adult telomere length in a sample of NCAA student-athletes and non-athlete college students? Preregistration and results: https://osf.io/s2cuj/.
10. Nanda AN*, Tennyson RL. (In Preparation). Analyzing Covid-19 related disturbances and perceived stress in Division-1 collegiate athletes and non-athletes. Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology. Preregistration and initial results: https://osf.io/25f4h/.
9. Nanda AN*, Logan A, Tennyson RL. (Under Review). Sport Psychology and Telomere Biology in NCAA Swimmers. American Journal of Human Biology. Preregistration and results: https://osf.io/4qk2m/.
Published and In Press
8. Harel EV, Shetreet E, Tennyson RL, Fava M, Bar M. (2022). Constricted semantic relations in Acute Depression. Journal of Affective Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2022.05.100.
7. Rivara, FP, Tennyson RL, Mills B, Emery C, Gioia G, Giza C, Herring S, Janz K, LaBella C, McLeod TV, Meehan, W, Patricios J. (2020). Consensus Statement on Sport-related Concussions in Youth Sports. JAMA Pediatrics. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.4006.
6. Rej PH, Tennyson RL, Lee NR, Eisenberg DTA. (2019). Caregiving for disabled family members does not predict telomere length in the Philippines. Psychoneuroendocrinology. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.01.019. Preregistration: https://osf.io/a9xbu/.
5. Tennyson RL, Gettler LT, Kuzawa CW, Hayes MG, Agustin S, Eisenberg D. (2018). Does early life microbial exposure modify the link between psychosocial stress and telomere length in the Philippines? American Journal of Human Biology. doi: 10.1002/ajhb.23145.
4. Logan-Greene, P., Tennyson, RL, Borja, S., Nurius, P.(2017). Adverse Childhood Experiences, Coping Resources, and Mental Health Problems among Court-Involved Youth. Child & Youth Care Forum. doi: 10.1007/s10566-017-9413-2.
3. Tennyson RL, Kemp CG, Rao D. (2016) Challenges and strategies for implementing mental health measurement for research in low-resource settings. International Health 8.6: 374-380. https://doi.org/10.1093/inthealth/ihw043.
2. Harel EV, Tennyson RL, Fava M, Bar M. (2016). Linking Major Depression and The Neural Substrates of Associative Processing. Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Neuroscience. 16.6: 1017-1026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27553369/.
1. Benenson, JF, Tennyson, R, Wrangham, RW. (2011). Male more than female infants imitate propulsive motion.Cognition, 121, 262-267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2011.07.006.
Research Positions
2021 – 2022 Research Scientist, Eisenberg Anthropological Genetics Laboratory, University of Washington
2020 – 2021 Research Associate, Casimir Trials, Seattle, WA
2018 – 2019 Research Consultant, Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington
2017 – 2018 Graduate Student Research Assistant, Center for Evaluation and Research for STEM Equity (CERSE), University of Washington
2014 – 2016 Lab Manager, Eisenberg Anthropological Genetics Laboratory, University of Washington
2013 – 2014 Graduate Student Research Assistant, Department of Anthropology, University of Washington
2012 – 2013 Research Assistant, Non Epigenetics Laboratory, Vanderbilt University
2012 – 2013 Research Analyst II, Zald Affective Neuroscience Lab, Vanderbilt University
2011 – 2012 Research Coordinator, Bar Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Massachusetts General Hospital & Harvard Medical School
2010 Primate Field Research Assistant, Department of Anthropology, New York University
2007 – 2009 Undergraduate Research Assistant, Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University
2007 Undergraduate Research Assistant, Lazar Lab, Massachusetts General Hospital
Invited Talks and Research Presentations
* = undergraduate mentee co-author (3 presentations)
Invited Talks
3. Tennyson RL. (2023). How does participation in organized youth sports relate to experiences of psychosocial stress during the COVID-19 pandemic in US college students? Invited Podium Session. American Association of Anthropology Annual Meeting. Toronto, ON.
2. Tennyson RL. (2022). Sports, Stress, and Aging: How does psychosocial stress impact biological aging in collegiate student-athletes? Invited Podium Session. American Association of Anthropology Annual Meeting. Seattle, WA.
1. Tennyson RL. (2022). ‘Legs Feed the Wolf’: An evolutionary perspective on psychosocial stress, physical activity, and their associations with telomere length. University of Washington Medical Anthropology and Global Health Speaker Series. November 22.
Research Presentations
14. Tennyson RL, Wright MA, Knight EL, Graham-Engeland JE, Engeland CG. (2023) Stability and inter-relationships of inflammatory markers across two weeks in older adults. Gerontological Society of America Annual Meeting. Tampa, FL.
13. Gildee CM, Martin MM, Brindle E, Tennyson RL, Pan TD. (2023). Does pre-analytical variation in dried blood spot collection impact C-reactive protein measurement? Human Biology Association Annual Meeting. Reno, NV.
12. Nanda AN*, Tennyson RL. (2023). Analyzing COVID-19 Related Disruptions and Psychosocial Stress in Collegiate Student-Athletes. Human Biology Association Annual Meeting. Reno, NV.
11. Tennyson RL, Nanda AN*, Gildee CM, K Rainsberger*, Eisenberg DTA. (2023). Does physical activity moderate the association between childhood psychosocial stress and adult telomere length in a sample of NCAA student-athletes and non-athlete college students? Human Biology Association Annual Meeting. Reno, NV.
10. Tennyson RL, Ryan CP, Duazo P, Carba D, Hayes MG, Kuzawa CW, Eisenberg DTA. (2022). Does maternal early life stress predict young adult offspring’s biological age in the Philippines? Human Biology Association Annual Meeting. Denver, CO.
9. Nanda AN*, Tennyson RL. (2022). Examining the Influence of Psychosocial Stress on Telomere Length in NCAA Collegiate Swimmers. Podium. American Association of Biological Anthropology Annual Meeting. Denver, CO. Preregistration: https://osf.io/4qk2m/
8. Tennyson RL, Eisenberg DTA. (2021). Maternal early life stress and offspring telomere length in a longitudinal and multigenerational cohort study in the Philippines. Telomere Research Network Annual Meeting. New Orleans, LA.
7. Tennyson RL. (2019). Systematic review of the association between cortisol secretion and telomere length in humans. Human Biology Association Annual Meeting. Cleveland, OH. Data publicly available: https://osf.io/62h8y/
6. Tennyson RL, Wander K, McDade TW, Shell-Duncan B, Eisenberg DTA. (2018). An ADHD-associated polymorphism in the DRD4 gene and nutritional status among Rendille children in northern Kenya. Human Biology Association Annual Meeting. Austin, TX.
5. Tennyson RL, Gettler LT, Kuzawa CW, Hayes MG, Agustin S, Eisenberg D. (2017). Does early life pathogen exposure modify the link between psychosocial stress and telomere length in the Philippines? Human Biology Association Annual Meeting. New Orleans, LA.
4. Tennyson RL, Kemp CG, Rao D. (2016). Challenges and Strategies for Implementing Mental Health Measurement for Research Low-Resource Settings. Consortium of Universities for Global Health. San Francisco, CA.
3. Tennyson RL, Harel EV, Bar M. (2016). Selective decreases in the hippocampus in Major Depressive Disorder: a Life History approach. Human Biology Association Annual Meeting. Atlanta, GA.
2. Tennyson RL, Gettler LT, Kuzawa CW, Hayes MG, Eisenberg DTAE. (2015). Early life psychosocial stress and blood telomere length among young adults in the Philippines. Human Biology Association Annual Meeting. St. Louis, MO.
1. Logan-Greene, P., Nurius, P., Borja, S., Tennyson, R. (2015). Adverse Childhood Experiences, Protective Factors, and Mental Health Problems Among Court-Involved Youth. Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conference. New Orleans, LA.
Research Grants, Awards, and Fellowships
2021
Biological Mechanisms of Healthy Aging, Pre-Doctoral Trainee; University of Washington, NIH/NIAT32 AG066574
Telomere Research Network Analysis Award; NIH U24 AG066528-03; $4,000
2020
Center for Leadership in Athletics, Dissertation Scholarship; University of Washington, $10,000
Student Technology Fund; University of Washington, $38,813 awarded to Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology
2019
Anthropology Department Dissertation Pilot Funding; University of Washington, $1,438
2016
Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology, Graduate Fellowship; University of Washington, NICHD T32 HD007543
Human Biology Association: Student Member Travel Award, Human Biology Association, $500
University of Washington, Department of Global Health Travel Award, University of Washington, $500
2015
Human Biology Association: Student Member Travel Award, Human Biology Association, $500
2014
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship – Honorable Mention, NSF
William S. Pollitzer Travel Award, American Association of Biological Anthropology, $500
2009
Robert Goelet Research Fund, Harvard College, $1,000
Mary Gordon Roberts Summer Mind, Brain and Behavior Fellowship, Harvard College, $1,600.
Harvard College Research Program, Harvard College, $1,000
Dean’s Summer Research Award, Harvard College, $1,000
Teaching Positions
Instructor of Record
University of Washington
The Non-Human Primates
Teaching Assistant
University of Washington
Anthropological Genetics Laboratory Methods
Laboratory Methods in Hormones and Behavior
Reproductive Ecology Laboratory Methods
Human Biological Diversity: Sports, Movements, and Activity
Anthropology of Sports
Anthropology of Soccer
Principles of Evolutionary Medicine
Human Biological Adaptability
Sex and Evolution
Principles of Biological Anthropology
Guest Teaching and Lectures
2021
University of Washington, Human Biological Diversity: Sports, Performance, and Activity, Topic: “Physical Activity and Psychosocial Stress”
2020
University of Washington, Principles of Evolutionary Medicine, Topic: “Physical Activity and Psychosocial Stress”
University of Washington, Human Biological Adaptability, “Psychosocial Stress and Human Biology”
University of Washington, Sex and Evolution, Topic: “Sexual Orientation”
2019
University of Washington, Principles of Evolutionary Medicine and Public Health, Topic: “Co-evolution”
2017
University of Washington, Evolution of Human Social Behavior, Topic: “Evolution of Morality”
University of Washington, Uses and Abuses of Evolutionary Views of Human Behavior, Topic: “Evolution of Morality”
University of Washington, The Human Life Cycle, Lecture Title: “Introduction to Epigenetics”
2016
University of Washington, Anthropology and Sports, Lecture Title: “Hypermasculinity in sport and its effects on Injury and Mental Health”
University of Washington, Laboratory Methods in Anthropological Genetics, Lecture Title: “Epigenetic Methods in Anthropology”
2015
University of Washington, Human Genetics, Disease, and Culture, Lecture Title: “Epigenetics and Anthropology”
University of Washington, Principles of Biological Anthropology, Lecture Title: “Primate Ecology and Conservation: of food and predators”
University of Washington, Laboratory Methods in Anthropological Genetics, Lecture Title: “Epigenetic Methods in Anthropology”
2014
University of Washington, Laboratory Methods in Anthropological Genetics, Lecture Title: “Epigenetic Methods in Anthropology”
2013
Vanderbilt University, American Medicine, Lecture Title: “Epigenetics: How our environment affects our biology.”
Advising and Mentoring
2021 – 2022 Senior Honors Thesis: Anamika Nanda (Department of Anthropology Best Honors Thesis Award)
Research Assistant: Scott J. Gustaffson
2020 – 2021 Senior Honors Thesis: Katie Rainsberger (Department of Anthropology Best Honors Thesis Award)
Professional Service
2016 – 2017 Outreach and Development Committee, Department of Anthropology, University of Washington
2014 – 2015 Undergraduate Outreach Committee, Department of Anthropology, University of Washington
2014 Conference Volunteer, American Association of Physical Anthropologists 2014 Annual Meeting, Calgary, Alberta
2013 – 2014 Resources Committee, 2013-2014, Department of Anthropology, University of Washington
2011 Conference Volunteer, American Association of Physical Anthropologists 2011 Annual Meeting, Minneapolis, MN
Tutoring Experience
2015 – 2018 Student-Athlete Academic Services, University of Washington
2014 NSF GeNOM and ALVA Project, University of Washington
2007 – 2010 Harvard University Bureau of Study Counsel, Harvard University