Born in Kristiansand, Norway, Øystein LaBianca joined the faculty of the Behavioral Sciences Department, now the School of Social & Behavioral Sciences, in the fall 1980 and was chair of the school from 1982 until 1990 when he stepped down as chair in order to spearhead development of the school's graduate programs in community and international development.

During his time as professor of anthropology, LaBianca also served as the associate director of the Institute of Archaeology at Andrews University, co-director of the Madaba Plains Project (MPP), and senior director of the Jordan Field School at Tall Hisban, Jordan. He is a trustee and member of the boards of the American Schools of Oriental Research in Boston and the American Center for Oriental Research in Amman. He has also represented Middle East anthropology and archaeology on the steering committee of the Middle East Section of the American Anthropological Association. Other memberships include Sigma Xi and the Society for International Development. He has received research grants from Andrews' Office of Scholarly Research, the National Geographic Society, National Endowment for the Humanities, the U.S. Department of State's Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Heritage Preservation the Research Council of Norway.

Upon retiring from teaching in the summer of 2020, Dr. LaBianca transitioned into his current role of Senior Research Professor where he continues to be involved in the University through his creative scholarship and research pursuits.