Dr. Frans de Waal

In 2011 Frans de Waal (1948-2024) was our Guest of Honour. De Waal was famous for his work as a primatologist and ethologist and published numerous influential books, including Chimpanzee Politics and Our Inner Ape. His research centred on primates’ social behaviour including conflict resolution, cooperation, inequity aversion and food-sharing.

Frans de Waal was director of the Living Links Center at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center in Atlanta. In 2007, TIME placed him on the list of the 100 most influential people. An important study by De Waal and others found the roots of human gestures that accompany speech in similar signalling by bonobos.