Francisco J. Ayala is University Professor and Donald Bren Professor of Biological Sciences and Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Ayala is a member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), a recipient of the 2001 National Medal of Science, and served as Chair of the Authoring Committee of Science, Evolution, and Creationism, jointly published in 2008 by the NAS and the Institute of Medicine.
Dr. Ayala has received numerous awards, including the 2010 Templeton Prize for “exceptional contribution to affirming life’s spiritual dimension,” and twenty-five honorary degrees from universities in ten countries. He has been President and Chairman of the Board of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and President of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society of the United States.
Dr. Ayala is the author of more than eleven hundred publications, including fifty books, dedicated to genetics, evolution, and the philosophy of biology. He also has written several books and numerous articles about the intersection of science and religion, including Darwin’s Gift to Science and Religion (Joseph Henry Press, 2007), Am I a Monkey? (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2010), The Big Questions. Evolution (Quercus, 2012), and Evolution, Explanation, Ethics, and Aesthetics (Academic Press, 2016). He teaches classes in evolution, genetics, and the philosophy of biology, which are also the subjects of his research.
Contributions to HumansandNature.org:
The Evolution of Ethics
A response to “What can evolution tell us about morality?”
Noteworthy Links:
- A video of Francisco Ayala
Watch Francisco Ayala discuss the evolution of ethical behavior. - Francisco Ayala at University of California, Irvine
Learn more about Dr. Ayala’s work at the Univerisity of California, Irvine.
