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{{Infobox scientist
{{Infobox scientist
| honorific_prefix =
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Kevin Lala (formerly Laland)
| name = Kevin Lala
| honorific_suffix =
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| native_name =
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| resting_place_coordinates = <!--{{coord|LAT|LONG|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}-->
| resting_place_coordinates = <!--{{coord|LAT|LONG|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}-->
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| other_names =
| other_names = Kevin Laland
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| patrons =
| patrons =
| education = [[University College London]] ([[Ph.D.]], 1990)
| education = [[University College London]] ([[Ph.D.]], 1990)
| alma_mater =
| alma_mater = [[University of Southampton]]
| thesis_title = Social transmission in Norway rats and its implications for evolutionary theory
| thesis_title = Social transmission in Norway rats and its implications for evolutionary theory
| thesis_url = <!--(or | thesis1_url = and | thesis2_url = )-->
| thesis_url = <!--(or | thesis1_url = and | thesis2_url = )-->
| thesis_year = 1990
| thesis_year = 1990
| doctoral_advisor = <!--(or | doctoral_advisors = )-->
| doctoral_advisor = [[Henry Plotkin]]
| academic_advisors =
| academic_advisors =
| doctoral_students =
| doctoral_students =
| notable_students =
| notable_students =
| known_for =
| known_for = [[Niche construction|Niche construction theory]]
| influences =
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'''Kevin Neville Lala''' (formerly Kevin Neville Laland; born 5 October 1962)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/nb2002042997.html |title=Laland, Kevin N. |website=Library of Congress Name Authority File |access-date=2018-10-10}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Current lab members – The Lala Lab |url=https://lalandlab.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/current-lab-members/ |access-date=2023-02-01 |website=lalandlab.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk}}</ref> is an English evolutionary biologist who is Professor of Behavioural and Evolutionary Biology at the [[University of St Andrews]] in [[Scotland]]. Educated at the [[University of Southampton]] and [[University College London]],<ref name=bbs>{{Cite journal |last1=Odling-Smee |first1=J. |last2=Laland |first2=K. N. |last3=Feldman |first3=M. W. |date=February 2000 |title=Niche construction, biological evolution, and cultural change |journal=Behavioral and Brain Sciences |volume=23 |issue=1 |pages=131–146; discussion 146–175 |issn=0140-525X |pmid=11303338 |doi=10.1017/s0140525x00002417|s2cid=13893525 }}</ref> he was a [[Human Frontier Science Program]] fellow at the [[University of California, Berkeley]] before joining the University of St Andrews in 2002. He is one of the co-founders of [[niche construction]] theory<ref name=":1">{{cite book |last1=Laland |first1=K. N. |last2=Odling-Smee |first2=J. |last3=Feldman |first3=M. W. |date=2003 |title=Niche Construction: The Neglected Process in Evolution |url=https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691044378/niche-construction |publisher=Princeton University Press |page=488 |isbn=9780691044378}}</ref> and a prominent advocate of the [[extended evolutionary synthesis]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.quantamagazine.org/scientists-seek-to-update-evolution-20161122/ |title=Scientists Seek to Update Evolution |last=Zimmer |first=Carl |date=2016-11-22 |website=Quanta Magazine |access-date=2018-10-10}}</ref> He is a fellow of the [[Royal Society of Edinburgh]] and the [[Society of Biology]]. He has also received a [[European Research Council]] Advanced Grant,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://erc.europa.eu/projects-figures/erc-funded-projects/results?search_api_views_fulltext=evoculture |title=ERC Funded Projects |website=European Research Council |access-date=2020-06-24}}</ref> a [[Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://risweb.st-andrews.ac.uk/portal/en/prizes/royal-society-wolfson-fellowship(8ad02670-a679-4730-b250-957f23210d7d).html |title=Royal Society Wolfson Fellowship |website=University of St. Andrews |language=en |access-date=2020-06-24}}</ref> and a [[John Templeton Foundation]] grant.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=https://www.templeton.org/grant/putting-the-extended-evolutionary-synthesis-to-the-test |title=Putting the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis to the Test |website=John Templeton Foundation |access-date=2020-06-24}}</ref> He was the president of the [[European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association]] from 2007 to 2010<ref name="cambridge">{{cite web|url= https://www.cambridge.org/core/membership/ehbea/about-us|website=cambridge.org|title=archived:www.cambridge.org/core/membership/ehbea/about-us|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101051202/https://www.cambridge.org/core/membership/ehbea/about-us |access-date=2022-10-21|archive-date=1 November 2020 }}</ref> and a former president of the Cultural Evolution Society.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Us |url=https://culturalevolutionsociety.org/story/culturalevolutionsociety.org/story/About_Us |access-date=2023-02-01 |website=culturalevolutionsociety.org}}</ref>
'''Kevin Neville Lala''' (formerly ''Kevin Neville Laland''; born 5 October 1962)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/nb2002042997.html |title=Laland, Kevin N. |website=Library of Congress Name Authority File |access-date=2018-10-10}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Current lab members – The Lala Lab |url=https://lalandlab.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/current-lab-members/ |access-date=2023-02-01 |website=lalandlab.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk}}</ref> is an English evolutionary biologist who is Professor of Behavioural and Evolutionary Biology at the [[University of St Andrews]] in [[Scotland]]. Educated at the [[University of Southampton]] and [[University College London]],<ref name=bbs>{{Cite journal |last1=Odling-Smee |first1=J. |last2=Laland |first2=K. N. |last3=Feldman |first3=M. W. |date=February 2000 |title=Niche construction, biological evolution, and cultural change |journal=Behavioral and Brain Sciences |volume=23 |issue=1 |pages=131–146; discussion 146–175 |issn=0140-525X |pmid=11303338 |doi=10.1017/s0140525x00002417|s2cid=13893525 }}</ref> he was a [[Human Frontier Science Program]] fellow at the [[University of California, Berkeley]] before joining the University of St Andrews in 2002. He is one of the co-founders of [[niche construction]] theory<ref name=":1">{{cite book |last1=Laland |first1=K. N. |last2=Odling-Smee |first2=J. |last3=Feldman |first3=M. W. |date=2003 |title=Niche Construction: The Neglected Process in Evolution |url=https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691044378/niche-construction |publisher=Princeton University Press |page=488 |isbn=9780691044378}}</ref> and a prominent advocate of the [[extended evolutionary synthesis]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.quantamagazine.org/scientists-seek-to-update-evolution-20161122/ |title=Scientists Seek to Update Evolution |last=Zimmer |first=Carl |date=2016-11-22 |website=Quanta Magazine |access-date=2018-10-10}}</ref> He is a fellow of the [[Royal Society of Edinburgh]] and the [[Society of Biology]]. He has also received a [[European Research Council]] Advanced Grant,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://erc.europa.eu/projects-figures/erc-funded-projects/results?search_api_views_fulltext=evoculture |title=ERC Funded Projects |website=European Research Council |access-date=2020-06-24}}</ref> a [[Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://risweb.st-andrews.ac.uk/portal/en/prizes/royal-society-wolfson-fellowship(8ad02670-a679-4730-b250-957f23210d7d).html |title=Royal Society Wolfson Fellowship |website=University of St. Andrews |language=en |access-date=2020-06-24}}</ref> and a [[John Templeton Foundation]] grant.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=https://www.templeton.org/grant/putting-the-extended-evolutionary-synthesis-to-the-test |title=Putting the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis to the Test |website=John Templeton Foundation |access-date=2020-06-24}}</ref> He was the president of the [[European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association]] from 2007 to 2010<ref name="cambridge">{{cite web|url= https://www.cambridge.org/core/membership/ehbea/about-us|website=cambridge.org|title=archived:www.cambridge.org/core/membership/ehbea/about-us|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101051202/https://www.cambridge.org/core/membership/ehbea/about-us |access-date=2022-10-21|archive-date=1 November 2020 }}</ref> and a former president of the Cultural Evolution Society.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Us |url=https://culturalevolutionsociety.org/story/culturalevolutionsociety.org/story/About_Us |access-date=2023-02-01 |website=culturalevolutionsociety.org}}</ref> Lala is currently an external faculty of the [[Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=People {{!}} External Faculty {{!}} Discover The KLI |url=https://kli.ac.at/content/en/people/kli_external_faculty |access-date=2023-03-10 |website=kli.ac.at}}</ref>


== Cognition and learning ==
== Cognition and learning ==
Lala's lab is primarily focused on animal social learning, innovation, and intelligence<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Toyokawa |first=Wataru |last2=Whalen |first2=Andrew |last3=Laland |first3=Kevin N. |date=2019-01-21 |title=Social learning strategies regulate the wisdom and madness of interactive crowds |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-018-0518-x |journal=Nature Human Behaviour |language=en |volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=183–193 |doi=10.1038/s41562-018-0518-x |issn=2397-3374}}</ref>, as well as human evolution, particularly the evolution of cognition and culture<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Laland |first=Kevin |last2=Seed |first2=Amanda |date=2021-01-04 |title=Understanding Human Cognitive Uniqueness |url=https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev-psych-062220-051256 |journal=Annual Review of Psychology |language=en |volume=72 |issue=1 |pages=689–716 |doi=10.1146/annurev-psych-062220-051256 |issn=0066-4308}}</ref>. Their work is highly interdisciplinary, lying on the interface of evolutionary biology, animal behaviour, ecology and psychology, and combines a wide variety of empirical and theoretical approaches<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Lala Lab – Research in the School of Biology |url=https://lalandlab.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/ |access-date=2023-02-01 |website=lalandlab.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk |language=en-GB}}</ref>.
The Lala Lab is primarily focused on animal social learning, innovation, and intelligence,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Toyokawa |first1=Wataru |last2=Whalen |first2=Andrew |last3=Laland |first3=Kevin N. |date=2019-01-21 |title=Social learning strategies regulate the wisdom and madness of interactive crowds |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-018-0518-x |journal=Nature Human Behaviour |language=en |volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=183–193 |doi=10.1038/s41562-018-0518-x |pmid=30944445 |hdl=10023/18143 |s2cid=256703977 |issn=2397-3374|hdl-access=free }}</ref> as well as human evolution, particularly the evolution of cognition and culture.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Laland |first1=Kevin |last2=Seed |first2=Amanda |date=2021-01-04 |title=Understanding Human Cognitive Uniqueness |url=https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev-psych-062220-051256 |journal=Annual Review of Psychology |language=en |volume=72 |issue=1 |pages=689–716 |doi=10.1146/annurev-psych-062220-051256 |pmid=33400565 |s2cid=230784383 |issn=0066-4308}}</ref> Their work lies at the interdisciplinary interface of evolutionary biology, animal behavior, ecology, and psychology.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Lala Lab – Research in the School of Biology |url=https://lalandlab.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/ |access-date=2023-02-01 |website=lalandlab.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk |language=en-GB}}</ref>


== Niche construction theory ==
== Niche construction theory ==
Following John Odling-Smee (1988)'s attempt to formalize the process of [[niche construction]] as an evolutionary process<ref>Odling-Smee FJ (1988) Niche-constructing phenotypes. In: Plotkin HC (ed) The Role of Behavior in Evolution. The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, pp 73–132</ref>, Odling-Smee, Lala, and Marcus W. Feldman developed a theoretical framework-- Niche Construction Theory (NCT)-- that models niche construction as an evolutionary process reciprocally interacting with the process of natural selection<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Odling-Smee |first=F. John |last2=Laland |first2=Kevin N. |last3=Feldman |first3=Marcus W. |date=1996 |title=Niche Construction |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2463239 |journal=The American Naturalist |volume=147 |issue=4 |pages=641–648 |issn=0003-0147}}</ref>. NCT has been applied widely across multiple fields, including ecology<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Laland |first=K. N. |last2=Odling-Smee |first2=F. J. |last3=Feldman |first3=M. W. |date=1999-08-31 |title=Evolutionary consequences of niche construction and their implications for ecology |url=https://pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.96.18.10242 |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |language=en |volume=96 |issue=18 |pages=10242–10247 |doi=10.1073/pnas.96.18.10242 |issn=0027-8424 |pmc=PMC17873 |pmid=10468593}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Matthews |first=Blake |last2=De Meester |first2=Luc |last3=Jones |first3=Clive G. |last4=Ibelings |first4=Bas W. |last5=Bouma |first5=Tjeerd J. |last6=Nuutinen |first6=Visa |last7=de Koppel |first7=Johan van |last8=Odling-Smee |first8=John |date=May 2014 |title=Under niche construction: an operational bridge between ecology, evolution, and ecosystem science |url=http://doi.wiley.com/10.1890/13-0953.1 |journal=Ecological Monographs |language=en |volume=84 |issue=2 |pages=245–263 |doi=10.1890/13-0953.1 |issn=0012-9615}}</ref>, [[evolutionary developmental biology]]<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Laland |first=Kevin N. |last2=Odling-Smee |first2=John |last3=Gilbert |first3=Scott F. |date=2008-11-15 |title=EvoDevo and niche construction: building bridges |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jez.b.21232 |journal=Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B: Molecular and Developmental Evolution |language=en |volume=310B |issue=7 |pages=549–566 |doi=10.1002/jez.b.21232}}</ref>, and human and cultural evolution<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kendal |first=Jeremy |last2=Tehrani |first2=Jamshid J. |last3=Odling-Smee |first3=John |date=2011-03-27 |title=Human niche construction in interdisciplinary focus |url=https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rstb.2010.0306 |journal=Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |language=en |volume=366 |issue=1566 |pages=785–792 |doi=10.1098/rstb.2010.0306 |issn=0962-8436 |pmc=PMC3048995 |pmid=21320894}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Laland |first=Kevin N. |last2=Odling-Smee |first2=John |last3=Myles |first3=Sean |date=February 2010 |title=How culture shaped the human genome: bringing genetics and the human sciences together |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nrg2734 |journal=Nature Reviews Genetics |volume=11 |issue=2 |pages=137–148 |doi=10.1038/nrg2734 |issn=1471-0056}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Laland |first=Kevin N. |last2=Odling-Smee |first2=John |last3=Feldman |first3=Marcus W. |date=February 2000 |title=Niche construction, biological evolution, and cultural change |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0140525x00002417 |journal=Behavioral and Brain Sciences |volume=23 |issue=1 |pages=131–146 |doi=10.1017/s0140525x00002417 |issn=0140-525X}}</ref>.
Following John Odling-Smee's attempt in 1988 to formalize the process of [[niche construction]] as an evolutionary process,<ref>Odling-Smee FJ (1988) Niche-constructing phenotypes. In: Plotkin HC (ed) The Role of Behavior in Evolution. The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, pp. 73–132</ref> Odling-Smee, Lala, and Marcus W. Feldman developed a theoretical framework – Niche Construction Theory – that models niche construction as an evolutionary process reciprocally interacting with the process of natural selection.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Odling-Smee |first1=F. John |last2=Laland |first2=Kevin N. |last3=Feldman |first3=Marcus W. |date=1996 |title=Niche Construction |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2463239 |journal=The American Naturalist |volume=147 |issue=4 |pages=641–648 |doi=10.1086/285870 |jstor=2463239 |s2cid=222326061 |issn=0003-0147}}</ref> This theory has been applied widely across multiple fields, including ecology<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Laland |first1=K. N. |last2=Odling-Smee |first2=F. J. |last3=Feldman |first3=M. W. |date=1999-08-31 |title=Evolutionary consequences of niche construction and their implications for ecology |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |language=en |volume=96 |issue=18 |pages=10242–10247 |doi=10.1073/pnas.96.18.10242 |issn=0027-8424 |pmc=17873 |pmid=10468593|bibcode=1999PNAS...9610242L |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Matthews |first1=Blake |last2=De Meester |first2=Luc |last3=Jones |first3=Clive G. |last4=Ibelings |first4=Bas W. |last5=Bouma |first5=Tjeerd J. |last6=Nuutinen |first6=Visa |last7=de Koppel |first7=Johan van |last8=Odling-Smee |first8=John |date=May 2014 |title=Under niche construction: an operational bridge between ecology, evolution, and ecosystem science |url=http://doi.wiley.com/10.1890/13-0953.1 |journal=Ecological Monographs |language=en |volume=84 |issue=2 |pages=245–263 |doi=10.1890/13-0953.1 |bibcode=2014EcoM...84..245M |issn=0012-9615}}</ref> [[evolutionary developmental biology]],<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Laland |first1=Kevin N. |last2=Odling-Smee |first2=John |last3=Gilbert |first3=Scott F. |date=2008-11-15 |title=EvoDevo and niche construction: building bridges |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jez.b.21232 |journal=Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B: Molecular and Developmental Evolution |language=en |volume=310B |issue=7 |pages=549–566 |doi=10.1002/jez.b.21232|pmid=18756522 |bibcode=2008JEZB..310..549L }}</ref> and human and cultural evolution.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Kendal |first1=Jeremy |last2=Tehrani |first2=Jamshid J. |last3=Odling-Smee |first3=John |date=2011-03-27 |title=Human niche construction in interdisciplinary focus |journal=Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |language=en |volume=366 |issue=1566 |pages=785–792 |doi=10.1098/rstb.2010.0306 |issn=0962-8436 |pmc=3048995 |pmid=21320894}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Laland |first1=Kevin N. |last2=Odling-Smee |first2=John |last3=Myles |first3=Sean |date=February 2010 |title=How culture shaped the human genome: bringing genetics and the human sciences together |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nrg2734 |journal=Nature Reviews Genetics |volume=11 |issue=2 |pages=137–148 |doi=10.1038/nrg2734 |pmid=20084086 |s2cid=10287878 |issn=1471-0056}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Laland |first1=Kevin N. |last2=Odling-Smee |first2=John |last3=Feldman |first3=Marcus W. |date=February 2000 |title=Niche construction, biological evolution, and cultural change |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0140525x00002417 |journal=Behavioral and Brain Sciences |volume=23 |issue=1 |pages=131–146 |doi=10.1017/s0140525x00002417 |pmid=11303338 |s2cid=13893525 |issn=0140-525X}}</ref>


== Extended evolutionary synthesis ==
== Extended evolutionary synthesis ==
In the mid-2010s, Kevin Lala, Tobias Uller, and colleagues pushed for an [[extended evolutionary synthesis]] in a series of high-impact articles.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Laland |first1=Kevin |last2=Uller |first2=Tobias |last3=Feldman |first3=Marc |last4=Sterelny |first4=Kim |last5=Müller |first5=Gerd B. |last6=Moczek |first6=Armin |last7=Jablonka |first7=Eva |last8=Odling-Smee |first8=John |last9=Wray |first9=Gregory A. |last10=Hoekstra |first10=Hopi E. |last11=Futuyma |first11=Douglas J. |last12=Lenski |first12=Richard E. |last13=Mackay |first13=Trudy F. C. |last14=Schluter |first14=Dolph |last15=Strassmann |first15=Joan E. |date=October 2014 |title=Does evolutionary theory need a rethink? |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/514161a |journal=Nature |language=en |volume=514 |issue=7521 |pages=161–164 |doi=10.1038/514161a |pmid=25297418 |bibcode=2014Natur.514..161L |s2cid=4467421 |issn=1476-4687}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Laland |first1=Kevin N. |last2=Uller |first2=Tobias |last3=Feldman |first3=Marcus W. |last4=Sterelny |first4=Kim |last5=Müller |first5=Gerd B. |last6=Moczek |first6=Armin |last7=Jablonka |first7=Eva |last8=Odling-Smee |first8=John |date=2015-08-22 |title=The extended evolutionary synthesis: its structure, assumptions and predictions |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |volume=282 |issue=1813 |pages=20151019 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2015.1019 |pmc=4632619 |pmid=26246559}}</ref> From 2015 to 2018, Uller and Lala led a large international John Templeton Foundation grant to test key hypotheses and assumptions of the extended evolutionary synthesis.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Extended Evolutionary Synthesis – An integrative research program |url=https://extendedevolutionarysynthesis.com/ |access-date=2023-01-27 |language=en-GB}}</ref>
In the mid-2010s, Kevin Lala, Tobias Uller, and colleagues pushed for an [[extended evolutionary synthesis]] in a series of high-impact articles.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Laland |first1=Kevin |last2=Uller |first2=Tobias |last3=Feldman |first3=Marc |last4=Sterelny |first4=Kim |last5=Müller |first5=Gerd B. |last6=Moczek |first6=Armin |last7=Jablonka |first7=Eva |last8=Odling-Smee |first8=John |last9=Wray |first9=Gregory A. |last10=Hoekstra |first10=Hopi E. |last11=Futuyma |first11=Douglas J. |last12=Lenski |first12=Richard E. |last13=Mackay |first13=Trudy F. C. |last14=Schluter |first14=Dolph |last15=Strassmann |first15=Joan E. |date=October 2014 |title=Does evolutionary theory need a rethink? |journal=Nature |language=en |volume=514 |issue=7521 |pages=161–164 |doi=10.1038/514161a |pmid=25297418 |bibcode=2014Natur.514..161L |s2cid=4467421 |issn=1476-4687|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Laland |first1=Kevin N. |last2=Uller |first2=Tobias |last3=Feldman |first3=Marcus W. |last4=Sterelny |first4=Kim |last5=Müller |first5=Gerd B. |last6=Moczek |first6=Armin |last7=Jablonka |first7=Eva |last8=Odling-Smee |first8=John |date=2015-08-22 |title=The extended evolutionary synthesis: its structure, assumptions and predictions |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |volume=282 |issue=1813 |pages=20151019 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2015.1019 |pmc=4632619 |pmid=26246559}}</ref> From 2015 to 2018, Uller and Lala led a large international John Templeton Foundation grant to test key hypotheses and assumptions of the extended evolutionary synthesis.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Extended Evolutionary Synthesis – An integrative research program |url=https://extendedevolutionarysynthesis.com/ |access-date=2023-01-27 |language=en-GB}}</ref>


== Anti-racism work ==
== Anti-racism work ==
Kevin Lala previously served on the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion division of the School of Biology as deputy director.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Committee – Equality, Diversity and Inclusion |url=https://biology.st-andrews.ac.uk/edi/edicommittee/ |access-date=2023-01-27 |website=biology.st-andrews.ac.uk}}</ref> He is currently serving as an Anti-Racism advocate,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Anti-racism – Equality, Diversity and Inclusion |url=https://biology.st-andrews.ac.uk/edi/anti-racism/ |access-date=2023-01-27 |website=biology.st-andrews.ac.uk}}</ref> publishing articles<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Laland |first=Kevin N. |date=2020-08-25 |title=Racism in academia, and why the 'little things' matter |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02471-6 |journal=Nature |language=en |volume=584 |issue=7822 |pages=653–654 |doi=10.1038/d41586-020-02471-6|pmid=32843730 |bibcode=2020Natur.584..653L |s2cid=221285014 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=ReSourcE Spring 2021 |url=https://rse.org.uk/resources/resource/magazine/resource-spring-2021/ |access-date=2023-01-27 |website=Royal Society of Edinburgh |language=en-GB}}</ref> on racism in academia.
Kevin Lala previously served on the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion division of the School of Biology as deputy director.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Committee – Equality, Diversity and Inclusion |url=https://biology.st-andrews.ac.uk/edi/edicommittee/ |access-date=2023-01-27 |website=biology.st-andrews.ac.uk}}</ref> He is currently serving as an anti-racism advocate,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Anti-racism – Equality, Diversity and Inclusion |url=https://biology.st-andrews.ac.uk/edi/anti-racism/ |access-date=2023-01-27 |website=biology.st-andrews.ac.uk}}</ref> publishing articles<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Laland |first=Kevin N. |date=2020-08-25 |title=Racism in academia, and why the 'little things' matter |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02471-6 |journal=Nature |language=en |volume=584 |issue=7822 |pages=653–654 |doi=10.1038/d41586-020-02471-6|pmid=32843730 |bibcode=2020Natur.584..653L |s2cid=221285014 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=ReSourcE Spring 2021 |url=https://rse.org.uk/resources/resource/magazine/resource-spring-2021/ |access-date=2023-01-27 |website=Royal Society of Edinburgh |language=en-GB}}</ref> on racism in academia.

Lala changed his name from Laland, stating on his lab website "Lala was my original family name, which my parents anglicized when I was 4, in an attempt to reduce the racism that their children experienced. I may have benefited from my surname being anglicized, but it did not sit right with me that I should still bear that name more than 50 years later. I wish to celebrate my ancestry not hide it. I am proud of my Parsi Indian heritage. I am not going to be intimidated by racists."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://lalandlab.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/current-lab-members/#:~:text=Why%20I%20Changed%20My%20Name,more%20than%2050%20years%20later. |access-date=23 February 2024 |title=Current lab members – the Laland Lab }}</ref>


==Publications==
==Publications==
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==External links==
==External links==
*[https://risweb.st-andrews.ac.uk/portal/en/persons/kevin-neville-laland(4ae352f3-32ca-418e-9d07-9b8ee17e6183).html Faculty page]
*[https://risweb.st-andrews.ac.uk/portal/en/persons/kevin-neville-laland(4ae352f3-32ca-418e-9d07-9b8ee17e6183).html Faculty page]
*[https://lalandlab.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/ Lab page]
*[https://lalandlab.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/ The Lala Lab]
*{{Google Scholar id|TXcWAw0AAAAJ}}
*[https://nicheconstruction.com Niche construction resource website]
*[https://nicheconstruction.com Niche construction resource website]
*[https://extendedevolutionarysynthesis.com Extended evolutionary synthesis project website]
*[https://extendedevolutionarysynthesis.com Extended evolutionary synthesis project website]
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{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lala, Kevin}}
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[[Category:British evolutionary biologists]]
[[Category:British evolutionary biologists]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh]]
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[[Category:Fellows of The Society of Biology]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Society of Biology]]
[[Category:Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award holders]]
[[Category:Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award holders]]
[[Category:European Research Council grantees]]
[[Category:European Research Council grantees]]
[[Category:English biologists]]
[[Category:English biologists]]
[[Category:Extended evolutionary synthesis]]
[[Category:Extended evolutionary synthesis]]
[[Category:English people of Parsi descent]]


{{Geneticist-stub}}

Latest revision as of 07:54, 12 May 2024

Kevin Lala
Born
Kevin Neville Lala

(1962-10-05) 5 October 1962 (age 62)
NationalityEnglish
Other namesKevin Laland
EducationUniversity College London (Ph.D., 1990)
Alma materUniversity of Southampton
Known forNiche construction theory
AwardsRoyal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award
Scientific career
FieldsBehavioral biology
Evolutionary biology
InstitutionsUniversity of St Andrews
Thesis Social transmission in Norway rats and its implications for evolutionary theory  (1990)
Doctoral advisorHenry Plotkin

Kevin Neville Lala (formerly Kevin Neville Laland; born 5 October 1962)[1][2] is an English evolutionary biologist who is Professor of Behavioural and Evolutionary Biology at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. Educated at the University of Southampton and University College London,[3] he was a Human Frontier Science Program fellow at the University of California, Berkeley before joining the University of St Andrews in 2002. He is one of the co-founders of niche construction theory[4] and a prominent advocate of the extended evolutionary synthesis.[5] He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Society of Biology. He has also received a European Research Council Advanced Grant,[6] a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award,[7] and a John Templeton Foundation grant.[8] He was the president of the European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association from 2007 to 2010[9] and a former president of the Cultural Evolution Society.[10] Lala is currently an external faculty of the Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research.[11]

Cognition and learning

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The Lala Lab is primarily focused on animal social learning, innovation, and intelligence,[12] as well as human evolution, particularly the evolution of cognition and culture.[13] Their work lies at the interdisciplinary interface of evolutionary biology, animal behavior, ecology, and psychology.[14]

Niche construction theory

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Following John Odling-Smee's attempt in 1988 to formalize the process of niche construction as an evolutionary process,[15] Odling-Smee, Lala, and Marcus W. Feldman developed a theoretical framework – Niche Construction Theory – that models niche construction as an evolutionary process reciprocally interacting with the process of natural selection.[4][16] This theory has been applied widely across multiple fields, including ecology[17][18] evolutionary developmental biology,[19] and human and cultural evolution.[20][21][22]

Extended evolutionary synthesis

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In the mid-2010s, Kevin Lala, Tobias Uller, and colleagues pushed for an extended evolutionary synthesis in a series of high-impact articles.[23][24] From 2015 to 2018, Uller and Lala led a large international John Templeton Foundation grant to test key hypotheses and assumptions of the extended evolutionary synthesis.[8][25]

Anti-racism work

[edit]

Kevin Lala previously served on the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion division of the School of Biology as deputy director.[26] He is currently serving as an anti-racism advocate,[27] publishing articles[28][29] on racism in academia.

Lala changed his name from Laland, stating on his lab website "Lala was my original family name, which my parents anglicized when I was 4, in an attempt to reduce the racism that their children experienced. I may have benefited from my surname being anglicized, but it did not sit right with me that I should still bear that name more than 50 years later. I wish to celebrate my ancestry not hide it. I am proud of my Parsi Indian heritage. I am not going to be intimidated by racists."[30]

Publications

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Journal articles

[edit]

Books

[edit]
  • Evolutionary Causation: Biological and Philosophical Reflections, The MIT Press, 2019, Tobias Uller, Kevin N Laland ISBN 9780262039925
  • Darwin's Unfinished Symphony: How Culture Made the Human Mind, Princeton University Press, 2017 ISBN 9780691151182
  • Social Learning: An Introduction to Mechanisms, Methods, and Models, Princeton University Press, 2013, William Hoppitt and Kevin N. Laland ISBN 9780691150703
  • Sense and nonsense: Evolutionary perspectives on human behaviour, Oxford University Press, 2011, Kevin N. Laland and Gillian R. Brown, 2nd edition ISBN 9780199586967
  • Niche Construction: The Neglected Process in Evolution, Princeton University Press, 2003, John Odling-Smee, Kevin N. Laland, Marcus W. Feldman ISBN 9780691044378
  • Sense and nonsense: Evolutionary perspectives on human behaviour, Oxford University Press, 2002, Kevin N. Laland and Gillian R. Brown, 1st edition ISBN 9780198508847

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Laland, Kevin N." Library of Congress Name Authority File. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  2. ^ "Current lab members – The Lala Lab". lalandlab.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  3. ^ Odling-Smee, J.; Laland, K. N.; Feldman, M. W. (February 2000). "Niche construction, biological evolution, and cultural change". Behavioral and Brain Sciences. 23 (1): 131–146, discussion 146–175. doi:10.1017/s0140525x00002417. ISSN 0140-525X. PMID 11303338. S2CID 13893525.
  4. ^ a b Laland, K. N.; Odling-Smee, J.; Feldman, M. W. (2003). Niche Construction: The Neglected Process in Evolution. Princeton University Press. p. 488. ISBN 9780691044378.
  5. ^ Zimmer, Carl (22 November 2016). "Scientists Seek to Update Evolution". Quanta Magazine. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  6. ^ "ERC Funded Projects". European Research Council. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  7. ^ "Royal Society Wolfson Fellowship". University of St. Andrews. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  8. ^ a b "Putting the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis to the Test". John Templeton Foundation. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  9. ^ "archived:www.cambridge.org/core/membership/ehbea/about-us". cambridge.org. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  10. ^ "About Us". culturalevolutionsociety.org. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  11. ^ "People | External Faculty | Discover The KLI". kli.ac.at. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  12. ^ Toyokawa, Wataru; Whalen, Andrew; Laland, Kevin N. (21 January 2019). "Social learning strategies regulate the wisdom and madness of interactive crowds". Nature Human Behaviour. 3 (2): 183–193. doi:10.1038/s41562-018-0518-x. hdl:10023/18143. ISSN 2397-3374. PMID 30944445. S2CID 256703977.
  13. ^ Laland, Kevin; Seed, Amanda (4 January 2021). "Understanding Human Cognitive Uniqueness". Annual Review of Psychology. 72 (1): 689–716. doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-062220-051256. ISSN 0066-4308. PMID 33400565. S2CID 230784383.
  14. ^ "The Lala Lab – Research in the School of Biology". lalandlab.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  15. ^ Odling-Smee FJ (1988) Niche-constructing phenotypes. In: Plotkin HC (ed) The Role of Behavior in Evolution. The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, pp. 73–132
  16. ^ Odling-Smee, F. John; Laland, Kevin N.; Feldman, Marcus W. (1996). "Niche Construction". The American Naturalist. 147 (4): 641–648. doi:10.1086/285870. ISSN 0003-0147. JSTOR 2463239. S2CID 222326061.
  17. ^ Laland, K. N.; Odling-Smee, F. J.; Feldman, M. W. (31 August 1999). "Evolutionary consequences of niche construction and their implications for ecology". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 96 (18): 10242–10247. Bibcode:1999PNAS...9610242L. doi:10.1073/pnas.96.18.10242. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 17873. PMID 10468593.
  18. ^ Matthews, Blake; De Meester, Luc; Jones, Clive G.; Ibelings, Bas W.; Bouma, Tjeerd J.; Nuutinen, Visa; de Koppel, Johan van; Odling-Smee, John (May 2014). "Under niche construction: an operational bridge between ecology, evolution, and ecosystem science". Ecological Monographs. 84 (2): 245–263. Bibcode:2014EcoM...84..245M. doi:10.1890/13-0953.1. ISSN 0012-9615.
  19. ^ Laland, Kevin N.; Odling-Smee, John; Gilbert, Scott F. (15 November 2008). "EvoDevo and niche construction: building bridges". Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B: Molecular and Developmental Evolution. 310B (7): 549–566. Bibcode:2008JEZB..310..549L. doi:10.1002/jez.b.21232. PMID 18756522.
  20. ^ Kendal, Jeremy; Tehrani, Jamshid J.; Odling-Smee, John (27 March 2011). "Human niche construction in interdisciplinary focus". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 366 (1566): 785–792. doi:10.1098/rstb.2010.0306. ISSN 0962-8436. PMC 3048995. PMID 21320894.
  21. ^ Laland, Kevin N.; Odling-Smee, John; Myles, Sean (February 2010). "How culture shaped the human genome: bringing genetics and the human sciences together". Nature Reviews Genetics. 11 (2): 137–148. doi:10.1038/nrg2734. ISSN 1471-0056. PMID 20084086. S2CID 10287878.
  22. ^ Laland, Kevin N.; Odling-Smee, John; Feldman, Marcus W. (February 2000). "Niche construction, biological evolution, and cultural change". Behavioral and Brain Sciences. 23 (1): 131–146. doi:10.1017/s0140525x00002417. ISSN 0140-525X. PMID 11303338. S2CID 13893525.
  23. ^ Laland, Kevin; Uller, Tobias; Feldman, Marc; Sterelny, Kim; Müller, Gerd B.; Moczek, Armin; Jablonka, Eva; Odling-Smee, John; Wray, Gregory A.; Hoekstra, Hopi E.; Futuyma, Douglas J.; Lenski, Richard E.; Mackay, Trudy F. C.; Schluter, Dolph; Strassmann, Joan E. (October 2014). "Does evolutionary theory need a rethink?". Nature. 514 (7521): 161–164. Bibcode:2014Natur.514..161L. doi:10.1038/514161a. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 25297418. S2CID 4467421.
  24. ^ Laland, Kevin N.; Uller, Tobias; Feldman, Marcus W.; Sterelny, Kim; Müller, Gerd B.; Moczek, Armin; Jablonka, Eva; Odling-Smee, John (22 August 2015). "The extended evolutionary synthesis: its structure, assumptions and predictions". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 282 (1813): 20151019. doi:10.1098/rspb.2015.1019. PMC 4632619. PMID 26246559.
  25. ^ "Extended Evolutionary Synthesis – An integrative research program". Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  26. ^ "Committee – Equality, Diversity and Inclusion". biology.st-andrews.ac.uk. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  27. ^ "Anti-racism – Equality, Diversity and Inclusion". biology.st-andrews.ac.uk. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  28. ^ Laland, Kevin N. (25 August 2020). "Racism in academia, and why the 'little things' matter". Nature. 584 (7822): 653–654. Bibcode:2020Natur.584..653L. doi:10.1038/d41586-020-02471-6. PMID 32843730. S2CID 221285014.
  29. ^ "ReSourcE Spring 2021". Royal Society of Edinburgh. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  30. ^ "Current lab members – the Laland Lab". Retrieved 23 February 2024.
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