Chris Cooney

Dr Chris Cooney is a NERC Independent Research Fellow at the University of Sheffield’s School of Biosciences. He holds a DPhil in Zoology from the University of Oxford (2010–2014) and a BSc in Biology from the University of York (2007–2010). His research focuses on understanding large-scale biodiversity patterns, phylogenetic comparative methods, and avian evolutionary dynamics. Key themes include sexual selection, speciation rates, and ecological drivers of diversity.

He has held prestigious fellowships, including the Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship (2019–2020). His work combines computational tools (e.g., deep learning for phenotyping) with large datasets to address evolutionary questions. Cooney supervises multiple PhD students, including Jasmine Hardie, Robert MacDonald, and Shriya Uday, and collaborates internationally in avian biodiversity research.

Publications highlight innovations in understanding avian morphology, sexual dimorphism, and ecological interactions. Awards include recognition for his contributions to evolutionary biology and biodiversity science. His Cooney Lab at Sheffield fosters interdisciplinary research bridging ecology, evolution, and computational biology.