David Gordon

Dr. David Gordon is a Senior Lecturer at Staffordshire University, within the Health, Education, Policing and Sciences school. He holds a PhD from the University of Exeter (2014), specializing in the evolution of costly punishment. Prior roles include postdoctoral research at the University of Exeter and University of Jyväskylä (Finland), followed by a lectureship at the University of Chester before joining Staffordshire in 2022.

His research focuses on evolutionary perspectives of human behavior, particularly costly punishment, status dynamics, cooperation mechanisms, and decision-making under existential risks like climate change. He has expanded into studying conspiracy theory beliefs and their psychological underpinnings. Professional memberships include the British Psychological Society and Human Behaviour and Evolution Society.

Teaching expertise spans research methods, biological psychology, and social psychology. He holds a PGCert in Higher Education Teaching from the University of Chester. Recent work includes grants from the British Academy (SRG2324\241087) investigating spitefulness and conspiracy ideation.

Research interests also encompass costly signaling, moral evolution, and life-history theory applications. His work bridges evolutionary theory with modern societal challenges, emphasizing experimental methodologies in behavioral economics and social psychology.