About
Joshua Tybur is a Full Professor in the Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, specializing in Social Psychology. He holds a dual appointment in the IBBA research institute. Tybur earned his PhD in Psychology from the University of New Mexico (2009) and a Bachelor’s in Psychology from Arizona State University (2004). His research focuses on disgust psychology, pathogen avoidance, and their implications for social behavior, morality, and cultural evolution. He has been actively involved in editorial roles for journals like Psychological Science and Politics and the Life Sciences, and serves as a member of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society.
Research Interests: Tybur’s work explores the evolutionary origins of disgust, its role in shaping moral judgments, prejudice, and dietary preferences. Key areas include behavioral immune system dynamics, cross-cultural consistency in pathogen detection, and the psychological mechanisms underlying social prejudice. He has published over 120 articles in top journals, with recent studies examining disgust’s role in political attitudes, pandemic behaviors, and nonverbal communication.
Key Contributions: His 2025 work on cross-cultural pathogen detection beliefs and 2024 studies on moral anger vs. disgust highlight his focus on evolutionary and cultural intersections. He leads an active research project on balancing pathogen transmission risks with social benefits. Awards include the Sage Young Scholar Award (2018) and Open Science Award (2021).
- Education:
- PhD in Psychology, University of New Mexico (2004–2009)
- Bachelor’s in Psychology, Arizona State University (2000–2004)
- Grants/Projects: Active project on pathogen transmission vs. social life (2022–2026)
- Awards: 5 major awards spanning 2008–2021
- Labs/Teams: Leads interdisciplinary research on evolutionary psychology and behavioral immunity
