Mark Schaller

Dr. Mark Schaller is a Professor of Psychology at the University of British Columbia, affiliated with the Department of Psychology in the Faculty of Arts. He holds a PhD from Arizona State University (1989). His research focuses on evolutionary foundations of psychological processes, particularly human motivational systems like the behavioral immune system and parental care, and their implications for social cognition, morality, and cultural dynamics.

His research interests include social cognition, evolutionary psychology, culture, cognitive science, and learning enhancement. He supervises graduate students in the Evolutionary Social Cognition Lab, with former advisees such as Cindel White and Marlise Hofer. He has been recognized with awards including the Gordon Allport Intergroup Relations Award (2013) and APA Fellow status (2010).

Recent work explores seasonal influences on cognition, moral psychology, and cultural variation. His lab investigates how motivational systems shape social behavior, from disease avoidance to parenting instincts. He has published widely in top journals like Personality and Social Psychology Review, and his work addresses topics from pandemic psychology to moral expansiveness across cultures.