Short Biography
I originally trained as a zoologist at the University of Leeds, and did my PhD in mammalian behavioural ecology at University College London, studying a small antelope species in Zimbabwe. I then worked at the Institute of Zoology in London, and the University of Newcastle. This work included phylogenetic analyses of horn evolution (paper in Behaviour) and carnivore diet (paper in Nature), but principally aimed to understand how odour communicates adaptive information between competitors and mates (papers in e.g. Behavioral Ecology, Nature Genetics), especially in laboratory and harvest mice. For the past 15 years or so, I have worked exclusively on humans, based in Newcastle, Liverpool and (since 2010) the University of Stirling.
My research has been funded by UK Research Councils (ESRC, BBSRC), research charities (the Royal Society, the British Academy, the Wellcome Trust, the Leverhulme Trust) and industrial partners (Unilever R&D, Boots UK Ltd). I held a British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship between 2013 and 2014.
Between 2024 and 2032, I am leading the project Olfactory communication in the first weeks of life: from chemical mechanisms to improving breastfeeding outcomes, funded by a £3.5M Wellcome Trust Discovery Award.
Since 2021, I am also an Assistant Professor at the University of Wroclaw, where I lead the interdisciplinary Being Human Incubator of Scientific Excellence.
Overview of Current Research
My research principally addresses three related but independent research areas:
Olfactory perception and communication. My research challenges the conventional view that olfaction is unimportant in humans, and instead can be an influential mechanism for cueing adaptive social behaviour.
Mate choice. What factors (including odour) determine partner choice? What are the benefits of choice, and what are the costs of not securing an ideal choice? I have made leading contributions, especially in trade-offs between ‘good’ and ‘complementary’ genes (e.g. major histocompatibility complex, MHC) and effects of hormonal fluctuation and hormonal contraception.
Applying evolutionary insights. Stimulated by potential applications of my own work in these areas, I have played a leading role in establishing and promoting the new field of applied evolutionary psychology.
I originally trained as a zoologist at the University of Leeds, and did my PhD in mammalian behavioural ecology at University College London, studying a small antelope species in Zimbabwe. I then worked at the Institute of Zoology in London, and the University of Newcastle. This work included phylogenetic analyses of horn evolution (paper in Behaviour) and carnivore diet (paper in Nature), but principally aimed to understand how odour communicates adaptive information between competitors and mates (papers in e.g. Behavioral Ecology, Nature Genetics), especially in laboratory and harvest mice. For the past 15 years or so, I have worked exclusively on humans, based in Newcastle, Liverpool and (since 2010) the University of Stirling.
My research has been funded by UK Research Councils (ESRC, BBSRC), research charities (the Royal Society, the British Academy, the Wellcome Trust, the Leverhulme Trust) and industrial partners (Unilever R&D, Boots UK Ltd). I held a British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship between 2013 and 2014.
Between 2024 and 2032, I am leading the project Olfactory communication in the first weeks of life: from chemical mechanisms to improving breastfeeding outcomes, funded by a £3.5M Wellcome Trust Discovery Award.
Since 2021, I am also an Assistant Professor at the University of Wroclaw, where I lead the interdisciplinary Being Human Incubator of Scientific Excellence.
Overview of Current Research
My research principally addresses three related but independent research areas:
Olfactory perception and communication. My research challenges the conventional view that olfaction is unimportant in humans, and instead can be an influential mechanism for cueing adaptive social behaviour.
Mate choice. What factors (including odour) determine partner choice? What are the benefits of choice, and what are the costs of not securing an ideal choice? I have made leading contributions, especially in trade-offs between ‘good’ and ‘complementary’ genes (e.g. major histocompatibility complex, MHC) and effects of hormonal fluctuation and hormonal contraception.
Applying evolutionary insights. Stimulated by potential applications of my own work in these areas, I have played a leading role in establishing and promoting the new field of applied evolutionary psychology.
