Frans B.M. de Waal, Ph.D.

Dr. de Waal is a Dutch/American behavioral biologist and ethologist known for his work on the social intelligence of primates. He is a member of the (US) National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. After a long career in primate research, including at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, de Waal retired in 2019 and is currently C. H. Candler Professor Emeritus at Emory University and Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Utrecht, in the Netherlands. He is still involved in behavioral research on chimpanzees and bonobos, especially expressions of empathy and cooperation while writing books on topics related to human evolution. His last book is “Mama’s Last Hug” (Norton, 2019) was a New York Times bestseller.