Robert Axelrod | |
|---|---|
 Axelrod in 2019 | |
| Born | Robert Marshall Axelrod (1943-05-27)May 27, 1943 (age 82) |
| Awards | Johan Skytte Prize (2013) National Medal of Science (2014) |
| Academic background | |
| Education | |
| Thesis | Conflict of Interest: A Theory of Divergent Goals with Applications to Politics (1969) |
| Doctoral advisor | Hayward Alker |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Political science |
| Sub-discipline | Policy studies |
| Institutions | |
Robert Marshall Axelrod (born May 27, 1943) is an Americanpolitical scientist. He is Professor of Political Science andPublic Policy at theUniversity of Michigan where he has been since 1974. He is best known for his interdisciplinary work onthe evolution of cooperation. His current research interests includecomplexity theory (especiallyagent-based modeling),international security, and cyber security. His research includes innovative approaches to explaining conflict of interest, theemergence of norms, how game theory is used to study cooperation, and cross-disciplinary studies on evolutionary processes.[1]
Axelrod received his B.A. in mathematics from theUniversity of Chicago in 1964. In 1969, he received his Ph.D. in political science fromYale University for a thesis entitledConflict of interest: a theory of divergent goals with applications to politics. He taught at theUniversity of California, Berkeley, from 1968 until 1974.
Among his honors and awards are membership in theNational Academy of Sciences, a five-yearMacArthur Prize Fellowship, theNewcomb Cleveland Prize of theAmerican Association for the Advancement of Sciences for an outstanding contribution to science. He was elected a Fellow of theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1985.[2] In 1990 Axelrod was awarded the inauguralNAS Award for Behavioral Research Relevant to the Prevention of Nuclear War from the National Academy of Sciences.[3] He is also a faculty affiliate of the Science, Technology, and Public Policy (STPP) Program at the University of MichiganGerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.[4]
Recently Axelrod has consulted and lectured on promoting cooperation and harnessing complexity for the United Nations, the World Bank, the U.S. Department of Defense, and various organizations serving health care professionals, business leaders, and K–12 educators.
Axelrod was the President of theAmerican Political Science Association (APSA) for the 2006–2007 term. He focused his term on the theme of interdisciplinarity.
In May 2006, Axelrod was awarded an honorary degree byGeorgetown University. In 2013, he was awarded theJohan Skytte Prize in Political Science. In 2014, PresidentBarack Obama presented Axelrod with aNational Medal of Science.[5] On May 28, 2015, he was awarded an honorary doctorate byHarvard University.[6]
Recipients of theJohan Skytte Prize in Political Science | ||
|---|---|---|
|  | |
