People - Durham University

Durham Cultural Evolution Research Centre

Our People

Academic staff

Name	Position	Research interests
Professor Robert A. Barton	Professor in the Department of Anthropology Director (Social Sciences) in the Institute of Advanced Study	Cognitive and brain evolution
Professor Alan Bilsborough	Professor Emeritus in the Department of Anthropology	Human evolution, especially the functional basis for cranial diversity in early hominids and the reconstruction of evolutionary patterns The interaction of social and biological variables in human biology, with particular reference to patterns of nutrition and disease
Professor Lynda Boothroyd	Professor in the Department of Psychology	Appearance ideals across cultures Attraction and mate choice Body image Body image interventions Gender Visual media Experimental and cross-cultural methods
Professor Zanna Clay	Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology	Comparative Affective Science Evolution and development of empathy, communication and culture Primate/great ape behaviour and social cognition Conservation Culture and social learning Language evolution and primate vocal communication Comparative cognition Cross-cultural development
Dr Eve Holden	Research Associate in the Department of Psychology	Developmental & comparative psychology Social behaviour and socio-emotional cognition in human & non-human primates Cross-cultural, naturalistic, & observational research methods Sex & gender effects Experience effects
Professor Russell Hill	Professor in the Department of Anthropology	Primate Behaviour and Ecology Predator-Prey Interactions Felid Behaviour and Ecology Conservation and Human-Wildlife Conflict
Dr Friederike [Freddy] Hillemann	Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Psychology	Behavioural ecology Social, economic, and ecological factors influencing individuals’ behaviours Social information use across species Food sharing networks Cross-cultural analyses In subsistence communities
Professor AR Hoelzel	Professor in the Department of Biosciences	Conservation genetics Evolutionary biology Population genetics and molecular ecology Ancient DNA
Dr Rohan Kapitany	DCERC co-director Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology	Ritual, Religion, Supernatural and Reality beliefs Adult Pretence and Imagination Social Learning Agent Based Modelling Cognitive and Social Psychology
Dr Jeremy Kendal	Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology	Social transmission and population dynamics
Professor Rachel Kendal (nee Day)	Professor in the Department of Anthropology	Social Learning Behavioural Innovation Cultural Evolution Cumulative Culture Applications to Welfare, Conservation & Science Communication
Professor Robert H. Layton	Professor Emeritus in the Department of Anthropology	Anthropology and archaeology of art Evolution of social behaviour Indigenous rights Social change, especially among French and Chinese villagers, and Native Australians
Dr Sheina Lew-Levy	Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology	Peer learning Cultural evolution Cross-cultural research methods Object play Child foraging
Dr Duncan Stibbard Hawkes	Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology	Forager Egalitarianism Signalling Theory Food Sharing Hunter Gatherer Subsistence Ecology Hunting Skill
Dr Bruce Rawlings	Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology	Innovation (particularly tool innovation) and creativity Imitation and overimitation Cumulative cultural evolution Developmental research Creativity and innovation across cultures Cross-cultural research and research methods Comparative research (particularly chimpanzees)
Dr Eva Reindl	Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Anthropology	Cultural Evolution Cumulative Culture Innovation Executive Functions Tool use Social Learning
Dr Sally Street	Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology	Macro-evolutionary anthropology Phylogenetic comparative methods Technical skill: music, tool use, construction Human/animal interactions
Dr Amanda Tan	Member of the Department of Anthropology	Technical intelligence: tool use, object manipulation, extractive foraging Social learning Animal traditions and culture Primate archaeology Human-wildlife interactions Evolutionary significance of coastal environments
Professor Jamie Tehrani	Professor in the Department of Anthropology	Cultural evolution Phylogenetic analysis of culture Social learning Cognitive anthropology Oral traditions Material culture Fairy tales
Dr Tom Widger	Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology	Anthropology & chemistry Suicide, self-harm, ethnopsychiatry Cognition, cultural transmission, social learning Charity, philanthropy, CSR, development Religion, nationalism, politics Pesticides, agrochemicals, and their human and environmental impacts Chemical body burden, biomonitoring, medical and eco toxicology Purity/danger; pollution/risk Global health Sri Lanka & South Asia
Dr Charlotte Wilks	Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Psychology	Cumulative Cultural Evolution (particularly from a developmental perspective, but also comparative) Executive Functions Innovation Developmental Research Children’s Learning and Education Autism and Neurodiversity
Sarah Wright	DCERC co-director Research Assistant and Project Coordinator in the Department of Psychology	Religion, ritual & belief Transmission biases Cooperation Modern Paganism Ethnographic and experimental methods

Academic Staff

Name	Title
Professor Robert Barton	Professor
Professor Lynda Boothroyd	Professor
Professor Zanna Clay	Professor
Professor Russell Hill	Professor
Dr Jeremy Kendal	Associate Professor
Professor Rachel Kendal	Professor
Prof Robert Layton
Dr Sheina Lew-Levy	Co-director
Dr Bruce Rawlings	Co-director
Dr Sally Street	Associate Professor
Dr Amanda Tan	Assistant Professor
Professor Jamshid Tehrani	Head Of Department
Dr Thomas Widger	Professor

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