World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!

D-Index & Metrics

Social Sciences and Humanities

D-Index
41
Citations
8449
World Ranking
4976
National Ranking
842

Overview

Alex Thornton is affiliated with the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom. Their research spans multiple fields including Agricultural and Biological Sciences, Environmental Science, and Psychology, with a particular focus on Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, as well as Social Psychology and Global and Planetary Change.

The scientist's work covers several topics, notably Animal Behavior and Reproduction, Primate Behavior and Ecology, and Animal Vocal Communication and Behavior. Other areas of interest include Amphibian and Reptile Biology, Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation, Avian Ecology and Behavior, and Plant and Animal Studies.

Alex Thornton has a publication record in a range of academic journals, frequently contributing to bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, Animal Behaviour, Royal Society Open Science, and Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences.

Frequent coauthors include Benjamin J. Ashton, Amanda R. Ridley, Guillam E. McIvor, Rebecca Hooper, and Josh J. Arbon, each collaborating on multiple works in their shared areas of study.

Some recent papers authored or coauthored by Alex Thornton include:

  • A deepening understanding of animal culture suggests lessons for conservation, 2021, Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences
  • Animal Cognition in an Urbanised World, 2021, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
  • The impacts of heat stress on animal cognition: Implications for adaptation to a changing climate, 2021, Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Climate Change
  • The Role of Animal Cognition in Human-Wildlife Interactions, 2020, Frontiers in Psychology
  • The value of teaching increases with tool complexity in cumulative cultural evolution, 2020, Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences

Best Publications

  • Experimentally induced innovations lead to persistent culture via conformity in wild birds

    Lucy M. Aplin;Damien R. Farine;Julie Morand-Ferron;Andrew Cockburn

  • Teaching in Wild Meerkats

    Alex Thornton;Katherine McAuliffe

  • Applications of machine learning in animal behaviour studies

    John Joseph Valletta;Colin Torney;Michael Kings;Alex Thornton

  • Individual variation in cognitive performance: developmental and evolutionary perspectives

    Alex Thornton;Dieter Lukas

  • The evolution of teaching

    Alex Thornton;Nichola J. Raihani

  • What is cumulative cultural evolution

    Alex Mesoudi;Alex Thornton

  • Punishment and cooperation in nature

    Nichola J. Raihani;Alex Thornton;Redouan Bshary

  • Lessons from animal teaching.

    William J.E. Hoppitt;Gillian R. Brown;Rachel Kendal;Luke Rendell

  • Cognitive performance is linked to group size and affects fitness in Australian magpies

    Benjamin J. Ashton;Amanda R. Ridley;Emily K. Edwards;Alex Thornton

  • The Evolution of Individual and Cultural Variation in Social Learning

    Alex Mesoudi;Lei Chang;Sasha R.X. Dall;Alex Thornton

  • Animal cultures matter for conservation.

    Philippa Brakes;Sasha R. X. Dall;Lucy M. Aplin;Stuart Bearhop

  • Social learning and the development of individual and group behaviour in mammal societies.

    Alex Thornton;Tim Clutton-Brock

  • Measuring and understanding individual differences in cognition

    Neeltje J. Boogert;Joah R. Madden;Julie Morand-Ferron;Alex Thornton

  • Innovative problem solving in wild meerkats

    Alex Thornton;Jamie Samson

  • Neophobia is not only avoidance: improving neophobia tests by combining cognition and ecology

    Alison L Greggor;Alex Thornton;Nicola S Clayton

  • Comparative cognition for conservationists

    Alison Greggor;Nicola Susan Clayton;Benjamin Timothy Phalan;Alex Thornton

  • A deepening understanding of animal culture suggests lessons for conservation.

    Philippa Brakes;Emma L. Carroll;Emma L. Carroll;Sasha R. X. Dall;Sally A. Keith

  • Cognitive requirements of cumulative culture: teaching is useful but not essential

    Elena Zwirner;Elena Zwirner;Alex Thornton

  • Toward wild psychometrics: linking individual cognitive differences to fitness

    Alex Thornton;Jess Isden;Joah R. Madden

  • Animal cognition in an urbanised world.

    Victoria E. Lee;Alex Thornton

  • Identifying teaching in wild animals

    Alex Thornton;Nichola J. Raihani

  • Experimental evidence for social transmission of food acquisition techniques in wild meerkats

    Alex Thornton;Aurore Malapert;Aurore Malapert

Frequent Co-Authors

Nicola S. Clayton
Nicola S. Clayton University of Cambridge
Alex Mesoudi
Alex Mesoudi University of Exeter
Francesca Happé
Francesca Happé King's College London
Andrew Whiten
Andrew Whiten University of St Andrews
Lei Chang
Lei Chang University of Macau

If you think any of the details on this page are incorrect, let us know.

Report an issue

We appreciate your kind effort to assist us to improve this page, it would be helpful providing us with as much detail as possible in the text box below:

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

Exploring Social Sciences and Humanities opens up a variety of flexible education options in the USA. Many learners are opting for online master's degree programs, which offer the convenience of remote study and can be completed in as little as one year. This is ideal for those wanting to balance career advancement with personal commitments.

For students looking to accelerate their academic journey, accelerated programs allow for faster degree completion and a quicker path to entering the workforce or advancing in their current roles. These programs offer the same rigorous curriculum but are designed for motivated learners who wish to graduate sooner.

Specific career-focused tracks are also available, such as msw programs for prospective social workers, or bcba online programs for those interested in behavior analysis. Both fields offer strong career outlooks and the flexibility of online study at affordable rates.

By choosing a flexible online pathway, students can gain essential skills and credentials for diverse roles in education, counseling, public administration, and more—while managing their time and finances more effectively.

Best Scientists Citing Alex Thornton

Trending Scientists

Recently Published Articles