Steve Jones is a geneticist and leading science communicator on evolution and genetics. He is a world expert on the genetics of snails and has also studied evolution in fruit flies and humans. However, he is most widely known as a highly successful broadcaster and writer.
He is an ecological geneticist, examining the relationship between habitat and genetic traits such as variation in snail shell colour. Investigating the effect of heat on snails, Steve showed that dark- and light-coloured snails choose to expose themselves to different amounts of sunshine. He is also investigating whether or not there have been changes in snail gene frequency in response to climate change.
Steve has published many popular science books on genetics and evolution and has written and presented a television series on human genetics. He has also advised the BBC on their science reporting. He is a winner of the Royal Society’s Faraday Prize for excellence in popular science communication.
Professional position
- Senior Researcher and Fellow, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London (UCL)
Subject groups
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Multicellular Organisms
Animal (especially mammalian) and human physiology and anatomy (non-clinical)
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Patterns in Populations
Evolution, Ecology (incl behavioural ecology), Population genetics, Environmental biology
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Other
Public understanding of science, Science education at secondary level
Awards
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Michael Faraday Prize and Lecture
For his numerous, wide ranging contributions to the public understanding of science in areas such as human evolution and variation, race, sex, inherited disease and genetic manipulation through his many broadcasts on radio and television, his lectures, popular science books, and his regular science column in The Daily Telegraph and contributions to other newspaper media.
