Dr. Joseph Henrich stands as a preeminent figure in biological anthropology and human evolutionary biology, currently holding the distinguished position of Ruth Moore Professor of Biological Anthropology and Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University where he also serves as Director of Graduate Studies. His academic journey began with dual bachelor's degrees in anthropology and aerospace engineering from the University of Notre Dame in 1991, followed by practical experience as a test and evaluation systems engineer at General Electric Aerospace from 1991 to 1993. He earned his master's degree in 1995 and completed his doctorate in anthropology from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1999, establishing the foundation for his interdisciplinary approach to human behavior. Prior to his appointment at Harvard in 2015, Dr. Henrich built an impressive academic career as a faculty member at Emory University from 2002 to 2007 and subsequently as the Canada Research Chair in Culture, Cognition and Coevolution at the University of British Columbia.
Dr. Henrich's groundbreaking research integrates evolutionary theory with cross-cultural studies to illuminate how cultural learning and transmission have shaped human psychological adaptations and genetic evolution over millennia. His pioneering behavioral experiments conducted across diverse societies worldwide demonstrated that standard game theory predictions based on self-interest fail consistently across different cultural contexts, challenging fundamental assumptions in economics and psychology. His influential publications, including 'The Secret of Our Success: How Culture is Driving Human Evolution, Domesticating Our Species and Making Us Smarter' (2015) and 'The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous' (2020), have redefined scholarly understanding of cultural evolution and its psychological consequences. By examining the interplay between cultural evolution and genetic evolution, Dr. Henrich has elucidated how human social learning capabilities enabled our species to adapt to diverse environments and develop complex institutions that distinguish us from other primates.
Through extensive fieldwork in Amazonia, Chile, Peru and the South Pacific, Dr. Henrich has gathered empirical evidence supporting his theoretical frameworks on cultural evolution and human cooperation. His research has earned significant recognition including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers in 2003, the Early Career Award for Distinguished Contributions from the Human Behavior and Evolution Society in 2009, and the Wegner Prize for Theoretical Innovation in 2018. Dr. Henrich's insights into the psychological variations across global populations have challenged Western-centric perspectives in psychological research, revealing how WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) societies represent psychological outliers rather than the human norm. As a leading voice in interdisciplinary scholarship, he continues to advance our understanding of how cultural evolution shapes human psychology, brain development, and social behavior, with profound implications for addressing contemporary global challenges through culturally informed approaches.
