Jump directly to main navigation Jump directly to content Jump to sub navigation

Pablo José Varas Enríquez

Doctoral Student

Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture
Deutscher Platz 6
04103 Leipzig  

E-mail: pablo_varas@[>>> Please remove the text! <<<]eva.mpg.de

Research Interests
Curriculum Vitae
Publications

Research Interests

With a background in biological anthropology and evolutionary ecology, I have developed an interest in the reproductive strategies of humans (and other organisms) from an evolutionary perspective. This has motivated me in trying to understand how different social and environmental factors relate to different strategies within and among populations. Through my PhD research, under the supervision of Dr. Dieter Lukas, Dr. Heidi Colleran, and Dr. Monique Borgerhoff-Mulder, I aim to understand how the resource transfers during the life cycle influence different life-history traits that shape the reproductive timing and investment among individuals, in order to understand the mechanisms behind the diversity of life-history strategies in humans. I am a member of the Comparative Behavioral Ecology Group and the Max Planck Research Group BirthRites.

Curriculum Vitae

Education

2019-presentPhD Candidate
Department of Human Behaviour, Ecology, and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
2017-2019MSc in Biological Sciences: Ecology and Evolution
Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, Faculty of Science, Universiteit van Amsterdam
Supervisors: Dr. Daniel Kissling, Dr. Hal Caswell, Dr. Nicolás Montalva Rivera
2018Professional degree in Physical Anthropology
Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Universidad de Chile
2008-2012Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology with major in Physical Anthropology
Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Universidad de Chile

Research Experience

2019-2022Guest researcher
Society and Health Research Center, Universidad Mayor
Supervisors: Dr. Nicolás Montalva Rivera, Dr. Dieter Lukas, and Dr. Martijn Egas
Develops two projects. 1) The relationship of socioeconomic positive and reproductive behaviour among Chilean women. 2) Review literature to address the evidence of competition and cooperation across the human life cycle and their influence in life-history traits.
2018-2019MSc student researcher
Theoretical Ecology Group, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, Faculty of Science, Universiteit van Amsterdam
Supervisors: Dr. Hal Caswell, Dr. (c) Silke van Daalen, and Dr. Isabel Smallegange
Explore the relationship between stochasticity and the patterns of different demographic outputs among plants and animals through the fast-slow continuum. Use of programming language and statistical software R, and the COMPADRE and COMADRE databases.
2018MSc student researcher
Laboratory of Biogeography and Macroecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, Faculty of Science, Universiteit van Amsterdam
Supervisors: Dr. Daniel Kissling and Dr. Hal Caswell
Analyse the relationship of macroecological drivers in the number of surviving offspring and its variability on contemporary human populations. Use of programming language and statistical software R, and ArcGIS for spatial data.
2016-2018Guest researcher
Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Aarhus Universitet
Supervisor: Dr. Jens-Christian Svenning, Dr. Nicolás Montalva Rivera, and Dr. Daniel Kissling
Explore spatial and geographical patterns of reproductive behaviour in contemporary human populations
2015-2018BSc student researcher
Department of Anthropology, Universidad de Chile
Supervisors: Dr. Nicolás Montalva Rivera, Dr. Luseadra McKerracher, Dr. Miriam Pérez, Dr. Sergio Flores
Analysis of the relationship between socioeconomic conditions and the variation of reproductive behaviour in contemporary female population from Chile. Use of programming language and statistical software R
2014Research assistant
Faculty of Science, Universidad de Chile
Supervisor: Dr. (c) María José Herrera
Cortisol collection from hair samples and application of psychological tests
2013Research assistant
Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Social Science, Universidad de Chile
Supervisor: Dr. (c) Constanza Silva
DNA collection from saliva samples and application of socioeconomic surveys
2012Research assistant
Faculty of Science, Universidade do Sao Paulo
Supervisor: MSc Tamara Pardo
Dietary data collection from interviews and creation of methodological and ethics tools.
2012Research assistant
Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Social Science, Universidad de Chile
Supervisor: Dr. Sergio Flores
Bioanthropological, health and diet data collection from human remains at the R. P. Gustavo Le Paige’s Museum.

Work  Experience

2016 Assistant
Ethics Committee for Research, Faculty of Social Science, Universidad de Chile
2016Physical anthropologist
El Olivar site, route 5
2010-2016Professional support in codification
Social Research Center, TECHO
2010-2013Outreach facilitator
Faculty of Social Science, Universidad de Chile
2012Professional internship
Archaeological Research Institute and R. P. Gustavo Le Paige’s Museum, Universidad Católica del Norte
Supervisor: Dr. Mark Hubbe
2011Physical anthropologist
El Olivar site, Brillamar
2011Conservation assistant
Archaeological Research Institute and R. P. Gustavo Le Paige’s Museum, Universidad Católica del Norte
Supervisor: Dr. Mark Hubbe

Teaching Experience

2021Lecturer
Theories of the body and health
Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Social Science, Universidad de Chile
2015Undergraduate Teaching Assistant
Evolution II
Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Social Science, Universidad de Chile
Supervisor: Dr. Sergio Flores
2013Undergraduate Teaching Assistant
Human Ecology
Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Social Science, Universidad de Chile
Supervisor: Dr. Luis Flores
2012Undergraduate Teaching Assistant
Human Ecology
Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Social Science, Universidad de Chile
Supervisor: Dr. Luis Flores
2012Undergraduate Teaching Assistant
Introduction to Physical Anthropology
Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Social Science, Universidad de Chile
Supervisor: MSc Sebastián Krapivka
2012Undergraduate Teaching Assistant
Introduction to Scientific Method
Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Social Science, Universidad de Chile
Supervisor: Dr. Germán Manríquez
2011Undergraduate Teaching Assistant
Introduction to Scientific Method
Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Social Science, Universidad de Chile
Supervisor: Dr. Germán Manríquez
2010Undergraduate Teaching Assistant
Evolution I
Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Social Science, Universidad de Chile
Supervisor: MSc Sebastián Krapivka
2010Undergraduate Teaching Assistant
Biology
Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Social Science, Universidad de Chile
Supervisor: Dr. Eugenio Aspillaga

Awards, scholarships, and grants

2017-2019Scholarship holder
BECAS Chile – Chilean government

Publications

2022

Varas Enríquez, P. J., Van Daalen, S., & Caswell, H. (2022). Individual stochasticity in the life history strategies of animals and plants. PLoS One, 17: e0273407.
Open Access    DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Varas Enríquez, P. J., McKerracher, L., & Montalva Rivera, N. (2022). Fertility dynamics and life history tactics vary by socioeconomic position in a transitioning cohort of postreproductive Chilean women. Human Nature, 33, 83-114.
Open Access    DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

2018

Varas Enriquez, P J, McKerracher, L J & Elliot, M G. (2018). Pre-eclampsia and maternal–fetal conflict,
Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health, Volume 2018, Issue 1, 1 January 2018, Pages 217–218
DOI

Conferences

2022

Varas Enríquez, P. J., Lukas, D., Martijn Egas, Montalva Rivera, N. “The role of competition and cooperation on life history traits across the human life cycle”
Talk
Chilean Society of Biological Anthropology (SOCHIAB) Annual Meeting, San Felipe, Chile

Varas Enríquez, P. J., Borgerhoff Mulder, M., Lukas, D., Colleran, H. “How family, peers, and community matter in the differences of fertility preferences among women from rural Poland.”
Talk
Annual Postgraduate Population Studies Conference (PopFest), Florence, Italy

Varas Enríquez, P. J., Svenning J-C., Montalva Rivera, N., Kissling, W. D. “Macroecology of the number of surviving offspring in contemporary human populations from the Global South”
Talk
Latin American Webinar of Biological Anthropology (online)

Varas Enríquez, P. J., Borgerhoff Mulder, M., Lukas, D., Colleran, H. “How family, peers, and community matter in the differences of fertility preferences among women from rural Poland.”
Lightning talk
Cultural Evolution Society Conference (CES), Aarhus, Denmark

Varas Enríquez, P. J., Borgerhoff Mulder, M., Colleran, H., Lukas, D.
“The role of resource dynamics in variations of the life cycle among female humans”
Poster
Toulouse Economics and Biology Workshop, Toulouse, France

Varas Enríquez, P. J., Borgerhoff Mulder, M., Colleran, H., Lukas, D.
“The role of resource dynamics in variations of the life cycle among female humans”
Poster
European human Behaviour and Evolution Association, Leipzig, Germany

2021

Varas Enríquez, P. J., Borgerhoff Mulder, M., Colleran, H., Lukas, D.
“The interplay of resource acquisition and sharing dynamics explains the diversity of female human reproductive allocative decisions”
Poster
Toulouse Economics and Biology Workshop, Toulouse, France

2020

Varas Enríquez, P. J., Svenning J-C., Montalva Rivera, N., Kissling, W. D. 
“Macroecology of the variability of surviving offspring in contemporary human populations from the Global South”
Lighting Talk
Evolutionary Demography Society Annual Meeting, Røros, Norway

2019

van Daalen, S., Varas Enríquez, P. J., Caswell, H.
“Variance matters: a comparative analysis of lifetime reproduction”
Poster
British Ecological (BES) Society Annual Meeting, Belfast, Northern Ireland

2018

Varas Enríquez, P. J., Svenning J-C., Montalva Rivera, N., Kissling, W. D. 
“Macroecology of mean surviving offspring in contemporary human populations from the Global South”
Lighting Talk
Chilean Society of Biological Anthropology (SOCHIAB) Annual Meeting, Santiago, Chile

Varas Enríquez, P. J., Svenning J-C., Montalva, N., Kissling, W. D. 
“Macroecology of lifetime reproductive success in contemporary human populations from the Global South”
Lighting Talk
Macroecology SIG Conference of the British Ecological Society (BES), St. Andrews, Scotland

2016

Varas Enríquez, P. J., Montalva Rivera, N., Flores Carrasco, S. 
“Socioeconomic groups and reproductive strategies: a cohort study of women from 1963-1968, Chile”
Talk
Chilean Society of Biological Anthropology (SOCHIAB) Annual Meeting, Quillota, Chile

2013

González Zarzar T., Santana Sagrado F., Cañas Encina P., Bucchi Morales A., Varas Enríquez P. J., Maturana Fernández A., Flores Carrasco S.
“Tiwanaku’s influence in quality of life of San Pedro de Atacama’s populations”
Poster
National Conference of Biological Anthropology, Buenos Aires, Argentina