Biography
I am a lecturer in Human Evolutionary and Behavioural Ecology. I completed my PhD and postdoctorate research as a member of the Hunter-Gatherer Resilience project which examined the cultural and behavioural adaptations of hunter-gatherer societies in Africa and Asia. I work principally with the Mbendjele BaYaka hunter-gatherers - a Pygmy population residing in the rainforests of Northern Congo. My research thus far has explored the role of cooperative networks and social relationships in human evolution; human life-history evolution; and the relationship between social structure and cultural transmission.
Currently, alongside a team at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, I'm thinking about how evolutionary approaches can advance our understanding of the aetiology of mental illness. I plan to investigate the prevalence of various mental disorders among hunter-gatherers, and explore the role of evolutionary mismatch in generating vulnerability to psychopathology in industrialised societies. I have also recently started a new project examining how specific features of social cognition - paranoia, threat detection, and in-group bias - respond flexibly to local socio-ecological conditions across London neighbourhoods; and whether dysregulation of these responses may increase the risk of schizophrenia.
I will be on听sabbatical for Michaelmas and Lent terms 2024/25.
Research
Human Social Evolution and Cooperation
Evolutionary Psychiatry
Applied Human Behavioural Ecology
Mating Systems
Cultural Evolution
Key Publications
Chaudhary, N., Page, A.E., Salali, G.D., Dyble, M., Major-Smith, D., Migliano, A.B., Vinicius, L.,Thomspon, J. & Viguier, S. (2024). Evolutionary Human Sciences, 6(27): e11.
Chaudhary, N., Salali, G. D., & Swanepoel, A. (2023). . Developmental Psychology, 60(3), 422-440.
Chaudhary, N. & Swanepoel, A. (2023). . Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 64(10), 1522-1525.
Chaudhary, N. & Salali, G.D. (2022). In Abed, R. & St.John-Smith, P. (eds.) Evolutionary Psychiatry: Current Perspectives on Evolution and Mental Health. Cambridge University Press.
鈥婸age, A. E., Chaudhary, N.,听Viguier, S., Dyble, M., Smith, D., Salali, G.D., Thompson, J., Vinicius, L., Mace, R., Migliano, A. B. (2017). Scientific Reports, 7(1), 41598.
鈥婱igliano A.B., Page A., Gardenes, J.G., Salali G.D., Viguier, S., Dyble M., Latora, V., Chaudhary N., Thompson J., Smith D., Strods, J., Vinicius L., Mace R. (2017). Nature Human Behaviour, 1(2), 0043.
鈥嬧�婸age, A. E.,听Viguier, S., Dyble, M., Smith, D., Chaudhary, N., Salali, G.D., Thompson, J., Vinicius, L., Mace, R., Migliano, A. B. (2016) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 113(17), 4694-4699.
Chaudhary, N., Salali, G.D., Thompson, J., Rey, A., Stevenson, E., Gerbault, P., Dyble, M., Page, A., Smith, D., Vinicius, L., Mace, R., Migliano, A.B. (2016). Scientific Reports, 6(8), 29120.
鈥婦yble, M., Salali, G.D., Chaudhary, N., Page, A., Smith, D., Thompson, J., Vinicius, L., Mace, R., Migliano, A.B. (2015). Science, 348(6236), 796-798.
鈥婥haudhary, N., Salali, G.D., Thompson, J., Dyble, M., Page, A., Smith, D., Mace R., Migliano A.B. (2015). Royal Society Open Science, 2(5), 150054.
听
听
Deb, A., Saunders, D., Major-Smith, D., Dyble, M., Page, A.E., Salali, G.D., Migliano, A.B., & Heintz, C & Chaudhary, N. (2024). Evolution and Human Behaviour, 45(4):106589.
Page, A.E. et al. (2024). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 121(9): e2318181121.
Major-Smith, D., Chaudhary, N., Dyble, M., Major-Smith, K., Page, A.E., Salali, G.D., Mace, R. & Migliano (2023). . PloS ONE, 18(4): e028436.
Musciotto, F., Dobon, B., Greenacre, M., Mira, A., Chaudhary, N., Salali, G.D, . . . Migliano, A. (2023). Evolutionary Human Sciences, 5, E9.
Giritlioglu, A. & Chaudhary, N. (2022). . Humor, 35(4): 553-586.
Page, A.E., Emmott, E.H., Dyble, M., Smith, D., Chaudhary, N., Viguier, S., Migliano, A.B. (2021). Philosophical Transactions of The Royal Society B, 376, 20200026.
Knight, J.K., Salali, G.D., Sikka, G., Derkx, I., Keestra, S.M., Chaudhary, N.* (2021). PLoS ONE, 16(10): e0258384
Salali, G.D., Dyble, M., Chaudhary, N., Sikka, G., Derkx, I., Keestra, S., Smith, D., Thompson, J., Vinicius, L., Migliano, A.B (2020). Human Evolutionary Sciences, 2, e24.
Deb A. & Chaudhary N. (2020). In depth entry in: Shackelford T., Weekes-Shackelford V. (eds.) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer.
Page, A.E., Thomas, M.G., Smith, D., Dyble, M., Viguier, S., Chaudhary, N., Salali, G.D., Thompson, J., Mace, R., Migliano, A.B. (2020). . Nature Human Behaviour, 3, 1154-1163.
鈥婼alali, G.D., Chaudhary, N., Bouer, J., Thompson, J., Vinicius, L., Migliano, A.B. (2019). Scientific Reports, 9, 11080.
Smith, D., Dyble, M., Major, K., Page, A.E., Chaudhary, N., Salali, G.D., Thompson, J., Vinicius, L., Migliano, A.B., Mace, R. (2019). Evolution and Human Behaviour, 40(1), 82-89.
鈥婼mith, D., Schlaepfer, P., Major, K., Dyble, M., Page, A.E., Thompson, J., Chaudhary, N., Salali, G.D., Mace, R., Astete, L., Astete, M., Vinicius, L., Migliano, A.B. (2017). 听Nature Communications, 8(1).
Diekmann, Y., Smith, D., Gerbault, P., Dyble, M., Page, A.E., Chaudhary, N., Migliano, A.B., Thomas, M.G. (2017). . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(31), 8205-8210.
鈥婼alali, G.D., Chaudhary, N., Thompson, J., Grace, O., van der Brugt, X.M., Dyble, M., Page, A., Smith, D., Lewis, J., Mace, R., Vinicius, L., Migliano, A.B. (2016). Current Biology, 26(18), 2516-2521.
鈥婦yble, M., Thompson, J., Page, A., Smith, D., Chaudhary, N., Salali, G.D., Vinicius, L., Mace, R., Migliano, A.B. (2016). Current Biology, 26(15), 2017-2021.
Chaudhary, N. (2016). 鈥� key idea in: T. Shackelford & V. Weekes-Shackelford (eds.), Encyclopaedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer
鈥婼mith,听D., Dyble, M., Thompson, J., Major, K., Page, A., Chaudhary, N., Salali, G.D., Vinicius, L., Migliano, A., Mace, R. (2016). Royal Society Open Science, 3(7), 160131.
Teaching and Supervisions
I coordinate the following courses:
B2: Human Ecology and Behaviour
B15: Human Social Evolution: Evolutionary Perspectives on Human Cooperation, Culture and Cognition
Other Professional Activities
Executive Committee member of , The Royal College of Psychiatrists
