She is a pioneer of fatherhood science and is unique in her approach to the study of human love, combining studies, techniques, and explanations from both the biological and social sciences. She spent over 12 years at the University of Oxford within the Social and Evolutionary Neuroscience Research Group (SENRG), led by Professor Robin Dunbar, focusing in particular on fatherhood and the genetics and neurobiology of love. She is fascinated by the full spectrum of human love and has carried out studies exploring romantic, friendship, parental, religious, and parasocial love. Her current research interests focus on the unique role for fathers in child development, the role of social fathers, the impact of fatherlessness, the spectrum of human love, including the impact of neurodiversity and the effect of emerging technologies, including AI, on our closest relationships.

Anna is passionate about public engagement in science. She has written two popular science books – Life of Dad (2018) and Why We Love (2023) – and has worked with broadcasters in the UK and abroad, including the BBC, ABC in Australia, NPR and Hulu in the USA, Arte in France and ZDF in Germany. She has written for the New York Times, The Guardian, The Observer, The i and New Scientist magazine, among others. She is the presenter of the award-winning How We Are Wired podcast which is funded by The Bertarelli Foundation. In June 2025 she appeared on The Diary of A CEO to talk about her pioneering research into love and fatherhood. Anna is currently writing her second book on fatherhood.

People who work with Anna often comment on her enthusiasm for her subject and her ability to talk about science, and the experience of being human, in an entertaining, energetic and relatable way.

Anna lives in rural Buckinghamshire, England, with her husband, two daughters, 4 dogs, and a menagerie of small animals.