Nichola Raihani

Nichola Raihani studies the evolution of social behaviour, a fascination that has taken her from the Kalahari Desert to the Australian outback and the coral reefs of far north Queensland. She is a Royal Society University Research Fellow and Professor in Evolution and Behaviour at UCL. Originally trained as an evolutionary biologist, Nichola now works in the Department of Experimental Psychology, where her research explores the intricacies of social behaviour in humans. In 2018, Nichola won the Philip Leverhulme Prize for Psychology and was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology. She has appeared on several science radio shows, including BBC Radio 4's 'Marketing: Hacking the Unconscious' and 'Thought Cages'. 

Her first book, The Social Instinct: What Nature Can Teach Us About Working Together, was published by Vintage in 2022. 

Nichola lives in South-East London, with her husband and two sons.