Erol Akçay

Erol Akçay is an Associate Professor of Biology at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Arts & Sciences. His research focuses on the evolution of complex biological and social organization, particularly how conflicting interests lead to cooperative behavior in contexts ranging from plant-microbe mutualisms to human societies. He is affiliated with the Evolution Cluster, the Warren Center for Network and Data Sciences, and the Social and Cultural Evolution Working Group (SCEW) at Penn.

Education: Ph.D. in Biology from Stanford University (2008).

Research Interests: Computational Biology, Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, Neurobiology, and Behavioral Physiology. He explores topics such as mutualism stability, social network formation, and the evolution of cooperation through theoretical and computational models. Recent work includes studies on partner choice in mutualisms, gene-culture coevolution, and the role of social inheritance in animal networks.

Teaching: Courses like BIOL 240 (Ecology) and BIOL 417 (Theoretical Population Biology). His lab actively seeks students and collaborators interested in theoretical and computational approaches to evolutionary biology.

Affiliations: The Akçay Lab collaborates with interdisciplinary groups at Penn, focusing on network science, evolutionary theory, and cultural evolution. His work bridges theoretical biology with empirical studies to address ecological and evolutionary challenges.