Douglas Jones

Douglas Jones is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Utah, with a career spanning over two decades at the institution. His research bridges evolutionary anthropology, kinship systems, and cognitive science, focusing on how social norms and biological evolution interact to shape human behavior.

• Academic Rank: Associate Professor (2005–present)
• Previous Positions: Visiting Assistant Professor (1997–1998, 2000–2001)
• Teaching: Courses include Anthropology of Violence, Brazilian Culture, Language and Thought, Tribes & Global Systems.

Research interests include:

• Kin selection and ethnic group selection
• Evolutionary models of social cohesion
• Game theory applications to anthropological phenomena
• Barbarigenesis and historical collapse of complex societies
• Racial cognition in Brazilian contexts

His publications employ interdisciplinary frameworks like Optimality Theory to analyze kinship grammars, demonstrating connections between linguistic and social structures. While no scientific awards are listed, his teaching and outreach activities include maintaining a "Logarithmic History" blog covering universal history from Big Bang to modernity.