Dario Maestripieri

Dario Maestripieri is a Professor in the Department of Comparative Human Development at the University of Chicago, with affiliations to the Institute for Mind and Biology and the Institute on the Formation of Knowledge. His work bridges evolutionary biology, primatology, and human behavior studies. He earned a laurea in Biology (1987) and a doctorate in psychobiology (1992) from the Università di Roma La Sapienza. His research focuses on primate social behavior, maternal effects, and the evolutionary roots of human behavior. Notable contributions include studies on rhesus macaques and interdisciplinary analyses of human relationships through an evolutionary lens.

• Education: Università di Roma La Sapienza (Biology, 1987; Psychobiology PhD, 1992)
• Research Interests: Primate behavior, maternal effects in mammals, evolutionary psychology, neuroendocrinology of social behavior.

His research combines field studies on Cayo Santiago rhesus monkeys with human behavioral experiments, exploring topics like aggression, parental care, and the neuroendocrine basis of social interactions. He has authored/co-authored over 230 scientific articles and books, including Games Primates Play and Animal Personalities. His awards include the APA Distinguished Scientific Award (2000) and fellowships from the AAAS and APS. He has held visiting roles at Columbia University and the University of Bologna.

Maestripieri’s work emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches, integrating evolutionary theory with psychology, biology, and literature. His labs and teams focus on behavioral ecology, hormonal mechanisms, and the evolutionary origins of social cognition. He also explores how literature contributes to scientific understanding of human nature, exemplified in Literature’s Contributions to Scientific Knowledge.