# Mark van Vugt

Mark van Vugt (Dutch pronunciation:; born 9 May 1967 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch evolutionary psychologist who holds a professorship in evolutionary psychology and work and organizational psychology at the VU University (Vrije Universiteit) Amsterdam. Van Vugt has affiliate positions at the University of Oxford, Institute for Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology (ICEA).

## Career

Mark van Vugt went to Bataafs Lyceum and studied psychology at the University of Groningen, followed by a PhD in applied social psychology at the University of Maastricht during which he worked on research into environmental sustainability and transportation as social dilemma and tragedy of the commons problems. After receiving his PhD in 1996, Mark van Vugt was hired by the University of Southampton, UK, to work as a lecturer in psychology, followed by a professorship in 2004 at the University of Kent, UK.

## Research

Mark van Vugt currently holds a professorship in psychology at the VU University (Vrije Universiteit) Amsterdam, bringing evolutionary and Darwinian thinking into the field of social psychology and organisational psychology. His research covers all areas of evolutionary psychology as applied to topics such as leadership followership, altruism, group dynamics, business, management, intergroup conflict and warfare, social dilemma, organisational psychology, volunteering and environmental protection.
He has contributed to the scientific literature by proposing evolutionary evolutionary psychology theories for human social behavior. On leadership followership and organizations through the evolutionary leadership theory. On intergroup relations through the male warrior hypothesis. On the evolutionary psychology of social dilemmas. On conservation and sustainability through the lens of evolutionary psychology and evolutionary mismatch. Recently he conducted work on the Napoleon complex adopting an evolutionary lens.

## Grants and awards

Van Vugt is a Fellow of the British Royal Society for Arts and Commerce. He is also the first recipient of the Juda Groen award in the Netherlands for his contributions to evolution, evolutionary psychology, and human behavior. He is the Business Editor of the Evolution Institute. Van Vugt has received several grants for his research, including from national and international science foundations, and from private partners.

## Media

Mark van Vugt is the lead author of a popular science book on leadership, Naturally Selected, with British science journalist Anjana Ahuja which has been translated in over ten languages. He is also co-author of a book on evolutionary mismatch and the implications of mismatch for human society (with novelist Ronald Giphart). Van Vugt has also co-authored books on prestige social dilemmas and the evolution of cooperation and a textbook on applying social psychology. His research has been discussed in many national and international popular science media outlets as the Nature, Huffington Post New Scientist, The Times, The Guardian, CNN, BBC, ABC, Trouw and the Volkskrant.
Van Vugt has a blog on Psychology Today, He also blogs on the website of the Dutch daily newspaper de Volkskrant applying evolutionary insights to societal issues. Van Vugt further co-writes with Max Wildschut a monthly column for the Dutch business magazine Management Team applying evolutionary theory to business and management.

## Editorships

Mark van Vugt serves on the editorial board of various journals such as the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology The Leadership Quarterly and Frontiers in Evolutionary Psychology and Human Neuroscience Politics and Life Sciences . He sat on various national and international panels on psychology teaching and research quality. He is an affiliate member of the British Academy project "From Lucy to Language". He led, together with Robin Dunbar of the University of Oxford, a series of lectures for the Economic and Social Research Council highlighting the role of Darwinian and evolutionary psychology in solving societal problems such as poverty, environmental protection, charity, war and peace.