Group
Evolution and Social Interaction Research Group
Unit(s) of assessment: Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience
Research theme(s): Health Innovation
School: School of Social Sciences
Overview
The Evolution and Social Interaction Research Group’s aim is to further our understanding of human and non-human animal social interaction and how and why these behaviours have been moulded by evolution. We want to understand the adaptive value, constraints and mechanisms of social interaction in human and non-human animal social systems. In doing so, we will also help understand the consequences of changing or restricting social interaction, and how important social contact is to our species.
Key topics include comparative cognition and communication, the evolution of social group processes, and primatology. Members use both experimental and observational methods and come from multiple disciplinary perspectives such as psychological science, biology, and evolutionary anthropology. Funding has been awarded from a range of national and international funding bodies including , , , , and .
The group sits within the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Social Interaction.
Members
Faculty
- Professor Bridget Waller (Lead)
- Dr Annika Paukner (Deputy Lead)
- Dr Richard McFarland
- Dr Thomas Kupfer
- Dr Chris Young
- Dr Eithne Kavanagh
- Dr Jamie Whitehouse
- Dr Andrew Dunn
- Dr Treshi-Marie Perera
- Dr Bahar Tuncgenc
Research Staff
- Dr Yuri Kawaguchi
- Dr Alex Lambert
- Dr Claire Kimock
- Andrew Buckee
- Csilla Paraicz
- Kerensa Rees
- Kirsty Harris
PhD Students
- Alisa Balabanova
- Olivia O'Callaghan
- Julia Machado
- Eric Ndayishimiye
- Lisa Buck
- Alanna Brownell
- Rachel Robinson
- Matthew Ball
- Michelle Dodd
- Dubheasa Mullins
- Sajjad Sojoudi
PhD studentships currently available, please contact a potential supervisor to discuss ideas before applying:
Key projects
Selected publications
MCFARLAND, R., HENZI, S.P., FULLER, A., HETEM, R.S., YOUNG, C. and BARRETT, L., 2024. . Functional Ecology. ISSN 0269-8463
KAWAGUCHI, Y., NAKAMURA, K., TAJIMA, T. and WALLER, B.M., 2023. . Scientific Reports, 13 (1): 5129. ISSN 2045-2322
ZENG, G., SIMPSON, E.A. and PAUKNER, A., 2023. . Behavior Research Methods. ISSN 1554-351X
KUPFER, T.R., SIDARI, M.J., ZIETSCH, B.P., JERN, P., TYBUR, J.M. and WESSELDIJK, L.W., 2022. . Evolution and Human Behavior, 43 (1), pp. 26-33. ISSN 1090-5138
YOUNG, C. and ROBBINS, M.M., 2023. . Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 378 (1868): 20210429. ISSN 0962-8436
TUNÇGENÇ, B., VAN MULUKOM, V. and NEWSON, M., 2023. . Science Advances, 9 (2). ISSN 2375-2548
WHITEHOUSE, J., CLARK, P.R., MICHELETTA, J., LIEBAL, K., SLOCOMBE, K.E. and WALLER, B.M., 2023. . International Journal of Primatology. ISSN 0164-0291
WALLER, B.M., KAVANAGH, E., MICHELETTA, J., CLARK, P.R. and WHITEHOUSE, J., 2022. . International Journal of Primatology. ISSN 0164-0291
Howard, E., Ropar, D., Newport, R., & Tunçgenç, B. (2021). . Nature: Scientific Reports, 11, 22869
Paukner, A., Slonecker, E. M., & Wooddell, L. J. (2021). Ecology and Evolution, 11(11), 6315-6325.
Kupfer, T. R., Fessler, D. M., Wu, B., Hwang, T., Sparks, A. M., Alas, S., Samore, T., Lal, V., Sakhamuru, T.P. & Holbrook, C. (2021). . Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 288(1955), 20210376.
Whitehouse, J., & Meunier, H. (2020). . Scientific reports, 10(1), 1-11.
Waller, B. M., Julle-Daniere, E., & Micheletta, J. (2020). . Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 113, 1-11.
Whitehouse-Tedd, K., Abell, J. & Dunn, A. K. (2020). . Conservation Biology, 35(2), 533–547.