Daniel Franks

Daniel Franks is a Professor at the University of York's Department of Biology with a joint appointment in Computer Science. His research examines animal social systems through behavioural ecology and computational approaches, focusing on killer whale societies and life-history evolution.

Research interests include:

• Evolution of social structures in animal groups
• Statistical modeling of observational data using Bayesian methods
• Postreproductive lifespan in killer whales
• Intergenerational knowledge transfer in matrilineal societies
• Evolutionary computation approaches to biological problems

His publications focus on social network analysis in ecology, with recurring themes in killer whale behaviour, evolutionary theories of aging, and statistical methodologies for animal observation studies. Grant support includes NERC funding for The Evolution of Post-Reproductive Lifespan in a Non-Human Mammal (2014-2016) and Interspecific Information Transfer in Savanna Herbivores (2014-2018), plus European Commission funding for conflict evolution in animal societies (2025-2027).

Leads an interdisciplinary team applying computational modeling and field observations to evolutionary questions. Serves as editor for Animal Behaviour journal and supervises postgraduate research projects.