Category Archives: Panel

Panel Chair at the 2026 CES Conference

In May, I had the pleasure of attending the 2026 Cultural Evolution Society Conference (CES 2026) at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in Rabat, Morocco.

I organized and chaired a special thematic session titled “From Theory to the World: Four Decades of Cultural Evolution”, celebrating the 40th anniversary of Robert Boyd and Peter Richerson’s seminal 1985 book, Culture and the Evolutionary Process. The panel brought together three of Rob Boyd’s former students, Joseph Henrich, Cristina Moya, and Sarah Mathew, alongside Rob Boyd himself to reflect on how the field has transformed from a provocative hypothesis into a unifying framework across the human sciences.

In my talk introducing and closing the session, I focused on the applied frontiers of cultural evolution. I discussed how these models are moving beyond academic theory to inform real-world policy and social design. They are also shaping decisions in domains ranging from education to global development, and demonstrating how cultural evolutionary frameworks can help design better futures.

My sincere thanks to Rob, Joe, Cristina, and Sarah for an incredible session, and to the Cultural Evolution Society, AIRESS, and UM6P for hosting a memorable conference!

Invited Speaker at BX2025

I had the opportunity to speak at the 2025 Behavioral Exchange Conference hosted by the Behavioral Insights Team (BIT) and the Behavioral Science Group at NYU Abu Dhabi. This year, the conference focused on New Frontiers in Behavioral Science, bringing to life the latest developments in the field and hearing from the people behind them.

In my talk, I explored how AI can allow us to solve the current problem of the lack of generalizability and specificity in behavioral science. I also participated in a panel on the power of social connections and community with Michael Bailey from Meta and Wardah Malik from BEworks.

My deepest thanks to the Behavioural Insights Team and the the Behavioral Science Group for hosting the event and inviting me!

Panelist and Invited Speaker on Bridging Disciplines to Advance Governance Research at the Governance Initiative, Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, London

I recently participated as a panelist and invited speaker at the Governance Initiative organized by the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab in London, UK, at their conference on “Bridging Disciplines to Advance Governance Research: Collaborations on Gender, Social Networks, and Climate Change.”

I was a panelist on the “Perspectives on The Challenges and Importance of Multidisciplinary Collaboration in Governance Research,” alongside Nava Ashraf and Noam Yuchtman. This engagement provided a forum to discuss innovative strategies for governance and poverty alleviation, leveraging insights from cultural evolution and economic psychology to inform policy and action.

I tackle more of this in my book, “A Theory of Everyone,” and other relevant papers on the topic can be found here:

  • Schimmelpfennig, R. & Muthukrishna, M.  (2023). Cultural Evolutionary Behavioural Science in Public Policy. Behavioural Public Policy. [Awarded EUSPR Presidential Award 2023] [Publisher] [Download] [Twitter] [LinkedIn]
  • Muthukrishna, M., Bell, A. V., Henrich, J., Curtin, C., Gedranovich, A., McInerney, J. & Thue, B. (2020). Beyond Western, Educated, Industrial, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) Psychology: Measuring and Mapping Scales of Cultural and Psychological Distance. Psychological Science, 31(6), 678-701. [Download] [Supplementary] [Code] [Summary Post] [Publisher] [Twitter]

My thanks to the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab for organizing the event, and my co-panelists, Nava Ashraf and Noam Yuchtman for an engaging session.

How cultural and genetic evolution shapes our behavior: Masterclass in the Guardian’s Weekend Psychology MA

I taught a Guardian Masterclass on “How cultural and genetic evolution shape our behaviour” at The Guardian’s Weekend Psychology MA. Much of what I presented is discussed in this paper on “The Cultural Evolution of Genetic Heritability“.

Many thanks to host Claudia Hammond and The Guardian. 

War at The Forum for Philosophy, London

I joined a panel for a discussion on War hosted by The Forum for Philosophy in association with the Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social Science, LSE and the Royal Institute of Philosophy. I was joined by:

Susanne Burri, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, LSE
Michael Robillard, Research Fellow, Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics
Joseph Maiolo, Professor of International History, Department of War Studies, KCL

The event was chaired by Jonathan Birch, Fellow, Forum for Philosophy; Associate Professor of Philosophy, LSE.

You can listen to the recording here or on YouTube