Alexander Edmonds is an anthropologist specialising in the sociocultural dimensions of health, illness and medicine. His research has investigated plastic surgery; mental health; military veterans; psychiatric and psychological practice; and health in international development. Regionally, he's worked in Brazil, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Edmonds was a Woodrow Wilson Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, Los Angeles and currently holds a second appointment at the Centre for Social Science and Global Health at the University of Amsterdam. He earned a BA with distinction in philosophy and religion from Stanford and a PhD with distinction in anthropology from Princeton. ResearchHis current work is a comparative, anthropological study of combat veterans' reintegration and mental health. Carried out in four countries (the US, UK, Netherlands, and Israel) it examines how participants navigate the diverse military, healthcare, and sociocultural environments they face during and after military service. It is funded by a five-year “Starting Grant” from the European Research Council. Edmonds has also researched the sociocultural dimensions of plastic surgery, beauty and medical enhancement technologies. Awarded multiple prizes, his book, Pretty Modern: Beauty, Sex and Plastic Surgery in Brazil, examines how a nation with extremes of wealth and poverty became a global leader in cosmetic surgery. He has written about his research for media, including the New York Times, and been interviewed about his work by BBC radio, the Associated Press, and other international news outlets.