Meet the Speakers

Sheina is the recipient of this years New Investigator award. She holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of Cambridge. Using methods from anthropology and psychology, she conducts research in hunter-gatherer societies to understand the cultural diversity in, and evolution of, social learning in childhood. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. 

Khandis' research spans themes in both behavioural ecology and evolutionary psychology, including sex differences, physical appearance, the menstrual cycle, and aggression, and uses 'big data' to address these themes. She is an expert in the conditions and environments that exacerbate conflict and cooperation amongst people, particularly the sexes; and has also published on the menstrual cycle. 

Tim is a world leading zoologist and a foundational figure within behavioural ecology. He is best known for comparative studies of the behavioural ecology of mammals.  Tim's early work focused on the social behaviour of primates, but he has since concentrated on red deer, Soay sheep, and meerkats.  

Adam is an evolutionary geneticist, author, and broadcaster. He is currently a lecturer at UCL, where he teaches on the history of eugenics, race science, genetics, and science communication. Adam has also written multiple popular science books on human evolution and history of eugenics, including A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived, How to Argue with a Racist, and Control: The Dark History and Troubling Present of Eugenics. He also writes and presents the BBC Radio 4 show Inside Science, and presents the podcast The Curious Case of Rutherford and Fry, in which Adam and his co-host - Hannah Fry - investigate everyday scientific mysteries sent in by listeners. 

Brooke is a human behavioural ecologist researching reproductive decision making and parental investment. Since 2009, she has worked with the Himba, and published a variety of papers on paternity uncertainty, fatherhood, and fidelity. 

Mark is Professor of Evolutionary Genetics at University College London and works mainly on biological and cultural aspects of human evolution. He uses computer simulation and statistical modelling to make inferences from genetic data – including ancient DNA – and archaeological information, on processes such as past migrations and dispersals, natural selection – particularly in response to changes in diet and infectious disease loads – and how demography shapes cultural evolution.