Christopher Watkins

Dr. Christopher Watkins is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Abertay University's Department of Sociological and Psychological Sciences. With over 12 years of academic experience, he holds editorial board membership for Archives of Sexual Behavior and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

His research examines how physical characteristics influence social judgments and relationships:

• Evolutionary perspectives on mate assessment
• Cross-cultural patterns in romantic relationships
• Hormonal influences on social perception
• Facial and vocal cues in dominance hierarchies
• Media effects on attractiveness judgments

Recent publications demonstrate methodological rigor through preregistered studies and cross-cultural validations. Work integrates biological anthropology with cognitive psychology to understand relationship dynamics.

Dr. Watkins won the 2020 Ig Nobel Prize for Economics for research correlating national inequality with kissing prevalence. His work has been featured in 275+ media outlets including BBC, Nature, and The New York Times. He directs PhD projects on social perception and romantic attraction, and previously served as Head of Department for 2.5 years.