Ben C. Sheldon is the Luc Hoffmann Chair in Field Ornithology and Director of the

Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology The Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology (EGI), at Oxford University in England, is an academic body that conducts research in ornithology and the general field of evolutionary ecology and conservation biology, with an emphasis on under ...

of the University of Oxford's Department of Zoology. He was Head of the Department of Zoology between 2016 and 2021. His research addresses causes and consequences of individual variation in wild populations, particularly of birds. He was awarded the 2020

Linnean Medal The Linnean Medal of the Linnean Society of London was established in 1888, and is awarded annually to alternately a botanist or a zoologist or (as has been common since 1958) to one of each in the same year. The medal was of gold until 1976, and ...

for "his service to science in the field of Zoology", and elected as Fellow of the Royal Society in 2022.

Education and career

Sheldon obtained his BA in Natural Sciences (Part II Zoology) at

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, where lectures from Prof Nick Davies in

Behavioural Ecology Behavioral ecology, also spelled behavioural ecology, is the study of the evolutionary basis for animal behavior due to ecological pressures. Behavioral ecology emerged from ethology after Niko Tinbergen outlined four questions to address when ...

were particularly influential, and his PhD in Zoology from the

University of Sheffield The University of Sheffield (informally Sheffield University or TUOS) is a public university, public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Its history traces back to the foundation of Sheffield Medical School in 1828, Fir ...

, under the supervision of Prof Tim Birkhead. He held a series of postdoctoral fellowships at the

University of Uppsala Uppsala University (UU) () is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. Initially founded in the 15th century, the university rose to s ...

and

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

, before moving to the University of Oxford to hold a

Royal Society University Research Fellowship __NOTOC__ The Royal Society University Research Fellowship (URF) is a research fellowship awarded to outstanding early career scientists in the United Kingdom who are judged by the Royal Society to have the potential to become leaders in their fie ...

in 2000. Sheldon was appointed Head of the Edward Grey Institute in 2002, following the retirement of Prof Chris Perrins and elected as the first holder of the Luc Hoffmann Chair in Field Ornithology in 2004. He was Associate Head of Department from 2011 to 2016, and Head of Department from 2016 to 2021.

Awards and honours

* 1997 Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour Outstanding New Researcher Award *2000 Royal Society University Research Fellow *2004 Scientific Medal of the Zoological Society of London *2013 Royal Society Wolfson Merit Award *201
Distinguished Naturalist Award
of the

American Society of Naturalists The American Society of Naturalists (ASN) was founded in 1883 and is one of the oldest professional societies dedicated to the biological sciences in North America. The purpose of the Society is "to advance and diffuse knowledge of organic evoluti ...

* 2020

*2020 Elected to the

Academia Europaea The Academia Europaea is a pan-European Academy of humanities, letters, law, and sciences. The Academia was founded in 1988 as a functioning Europe-wide Academy that encompasses all fields of scholarly inquiry. It acts as co-ordinator of Europe ...

*2022 Fellow of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

Select publications

* * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheldon, Ben Living people British zoologists Academics of the University of Oxford Edward Grey Institute people Year of birth missing (living people) Linnean Medallists Fellows of the Royal Society