Andy Gardner

Prof Andy Gardner is a Professor in the School of Biology at the University of St Andrews. He is affiliated with multiple research centers including the St Andrews Centre for Exoplanet Science, Centre for Biological Diversity, Institute of Behavioural and Neural Sciences, and St Andrews Bioinformatics Unit. His research focuses on Darwinian adaptation, particularly social evolution mechanisms like inclusive fitness and multilevel selection, applied to diverse biological systems such as viruses, bacteria, insects, and humans. He actively supervises PhD students and has contributed to major projects like the ERC-funded SOCIOCOMPLEXITY initiative.

Research Interests: Prof Gardner explores how natural selection operates at gene, individual, and societal levels, with emphasis on kin selection, group selection, and evolutionary conflicts. His work bridges theoretical models and empirical systems, addressing questions about cooperation, altruism, and evolutionary transitions in individuality.

Key Trends in Articles: Recent work highlights kin competition effects on metamorphosis timing, partner choice mechanisms for cooperation, and density-dependent dispersal impacts on sex ratios. His studies frequently integrate geometric models (e.g., altruism evolution) and genomic imprinting dynamics, reflecting a focus on both microevolutionary processes and macro-scale adaptations.

• Scientific Awards: Christopher Barnard Award (2010), John Maynard Smith Prize (2007), Royal Society Fellowship (2016)

Advising & Grants: Supervises four PhD students and leads/funded projects including NERC grants on major transitions in individuality and ERC grants on socio-complex systems. His research often involves interdisciplinary teams and computational simulations.

Labs/Teams: Active in the Gardner Lab, collaborating with international researchers on topics like social brain evolution and ancestor-descendant conflicts. Hosts a research portal with datasets and software tools for evolutionary modeling.