FRANS DE WAAL is a Dutch/American primatologist and biologist with a degree from the University of Utrecht. He has lived and worked in the United States since 1981. His first popular book, Chimpanzee Politics, compared the schmoozing and scheming of chimpanzees involved in power struggles with that of human politicians. Ever since, de Waal has drawn parallels between primate and human behavior. His books have reached a large audience in many different languages, making him one of the world’s best-known primatologists.
With his discovery of reconciliation in primates, de Waal pioneered research on animal conflict resolution. He received the 1989 Los Angeles Times Book Award for Peacemaking among Primates. His scientific articles have been published in journals such as Science, Nature, Scientific American, and outlets specialized in animal behavior. De Waal is C. H. Candler Professor in the Psychology Department of Emory University and director of the Living Links Center at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, in Atlanta. He is a member of both the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences. In 2007 he was selected by Time as one of The World’s 100 Most Influential People Today, and in 2011 by Discover as among 47 (all-time) Great Minds of Science.
De Waal lives in Stone Mountain, Georgia, with his wife, Catherine.