Richard Wrangham

Who is Richard Wrangham?

Richard W. Wrangham is a British primatologist. Following his years on the faculty of the University of Michigan, he became the Ruth Moore Professor of Biological Anthropology at Harvard University and his research group is now part of the newly established Department of Human Evolutionary Biology.

He is co-director of the Kibale Chimpanzee Project, the long-term study of the Kanyawara chimpanzees in Kibale National Park, Uganda. His research culminates in the study of human evolution in which he draws conclusions based on the behavioural ecology of apes. As a graduate student, Wrangham studied under Robert Hinde and Jane Goodall.

Wrangham is known predominantly for his work in the ecology of primate social systems, the evolutionary history of human aggression, and most recently his research in cooking and self-domestication. He is a vegetarian and a MacArthur fellow.

Wrangham has been instrumental in identifying behaviors considered "human-specific" in chimpanzees, including culture and with Eloy Rodriguez, chimpanzee self-medication.