2026 Robert Axelrod: Social Sciences and Humanities Researcher – H-Index, Publications & Awards

Discipline name	D-Index	World Ranking	Current World Ranking	National Ranking	Current National Ranking	Publications	Citations
Social Sciences and Humanities	59	1493	1336	711	626	134	104988

Research.com Recognitions

2013 - Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science For profoundly having changed our presumptions about the preconditions for human cooperation.
2012 - US President's National Medal of Science "For interdisciplinary work on the evolution of cooperation, complexity theory, and international security, and for the exploration of how social science models can be used to explain biological phenomena.", Award presented by President Barack Obama at a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on November 20, 2014.
2011 - Charles E. Merriam Award, American Political Science Association (APSA)
1987 - Fellow of the MacArthur Foundation
1986 - Member of the National Academy of Sciences
1985 - Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Overview

Robert Axelrod is affiliated with the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor in the United States. Their research spans the fields of Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology as well as Social Sciences. Within these areas, Axelrod has contributed to subfields including Cancer Research, Statistical and Nonlinear Physics, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, and Genetics.

The main topics covered in Axelrod's work include:

Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics
Social Media and Politics
Opinion Dynamics and Social Influence
Microtubule and mitosis dynamics
Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
CRISPR and Genetic Engineering
Cancer Cells and Metastasis

Axelrod has published frequently in several venues, including:

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (4 publications)
Evolutionary Applications (1 publication)
Seminars in Cancer Biology (1 publication)
Molecular Cancer Research (1 publication)
Proceedings of the ACM Web Conference 2022 (1 publication)

Recent papers authored in collaboration with Kenneth J. Pienta and others include:

"Cancer recurrence and lethality are enabled by enhanced survival and reversible cell cycle arrest of polyaneuploid cells," 2021, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
"Poly-aneuploid cancer cells promote evolvability, generating lethal cancer," 2020, Evolutionary Applications
"Cancer cells employ an evolutionarily conserved polyploidization program to resist therapy," 2020, Seminars in Cancer Biology
"Convergent Evolution, Evolving Evolvability, and the Origins of Lethal Cancer," 2020, Molecular Cancer Research
"Effective Messaging on Social Media: What Makes Online Content Go Viral?", 2022, Proceedings of the ACM Web Conference 2022

Frequent co-authors working with Axelrod include:

Kenneth J. Pienta
Sarah R. Amend
Emma U. Hammarlund
Joel S. Brown
Joshua J. Daymude

Throughout their career, Axelrod has received several awards such as:

Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science (2013) for changing presumptions about the preconditions for human cooperation
U.S. President's National Medal of Science (2012), awarded for interdisciplinary work on the evolution of cooperation, complexity theory, and international security, presented by President Barack Obama in 2014
Charles E. Merriam Award from the American Political Science Association (2011)
Fellow of the MacArthur Foundation (1987)
Member of the National Academy of Sciences (1986)
Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1985)

Best Publications

The Evolution of Cooperation

Robert Axelrod;William D. Hamilton

46919
Citations
The Complexity of Cooperation

Robert Axelrod

6364
Citations
Structure of decision : the cognitive maps of political elites

Robert M. Axelrod

4978
Citations
The Complexity of Cooperation: Agent-Based Models of Competition and Collaboration

Robert M. Axelrod

3473
Citations
An evolutionary approach to norms

Robert Axelrod

3294
Citations
Achieving Cooperation Under Anarchy: Strategies And Institutions

Robert Axelrod;Robert O. Keohane

3184
Citations
Advancing the Art of Simulation in the Social Sciences

Robert Axelrod

2848
Citations
The Dissemination of Culture: A Model with Local Convergence and Global Polarization

Robert Axelrod

2640
Citations
Harnessing Complexity: Organizational Implications of a Scientific Frontier

Robert M. Axelrod;Michael D. Cohen

2262
Citations
Conflict of interest; : a theory of divergent goals with applications to politics.

Robert M Axelrod

1813
Citations
The Emergence of Cooperation among Egoists

Robert Axelrod

1708
Citations
Sexual reproduction as an adaptation to resist parasites (a review)

William D. Hamilton;Robert Axelrod;Reiko Tanese

1581
Citations
Effective Choice in the Prisoner's Dilemma:

Robert Axelrod

1547
Citations
The Evolution of Strategies in the Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma

Robert Axelrod

1470
Citations
The Further Evolution of Cooperation

Robert Axelrod;Douglas Dion

1337
Citations
Die Evolution der Kooperation

Robert M. Axelrod

1177
Citations
Conflict of interest: an axiomatic approach

Robert Axelrod

1016
Citations
More Effective Choice in the Prisoner's Dilemma

Robert Axelrod

967
Citations
Evolution of cooperation without reciprocity.

Rick L. Riolo;Michael D. Cohen;Robert Axelrod

949
Citations
The Evolution of Cooperation.

Terry Connolly;Robert Axelrod

461
Citations
Evolutionary Approach to Norms

R. Axelrod

261
Citations
Structure of Decision

Robert Axelrod

68
Citations

Frequent Co-Authors

Scott Atran University of Oxford

Michael X Cohen Radboud University

Leigh Tesfatsion Iowa State University

James C. Sturm Princeton University

Paul C. Stern Social and Environmental Research Institute

Baruch Fischhoff Carnegie Mellon University

Paul Doty Harvard University

Rosaria Conte National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Linda Partridge Max Planck Society

Robert M. May University of Oxford

External Links

Wikipedia of Robert Axelrod Personal website of Robert Axelrod Google Scholar page

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

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

Exploring Social Sciences and Humanities in the USA opens up diverse academic and career opportunities. Many students now prefer online options for their flexibility and speed. For those seeking to upskill quickly, 1 year masters programs let you earn a postgraduate degree in less time, fast-tracking your professional growth.

If you want to begin your career sooner, accelerated degree programs online are designed to help you finish your bachelor’s at a faster pace than traditional programs. These options are especially attractive for adult learners or those looking to change fields quickly.

Affordability and accreditation also matter. For students passionate about social work, cheapest cswe-accredited online msw programs offer respected credentials without the high costs, preparing graduates for impactful roles in community work.

Similarly, those interested in behavioral analysis can find the bcba degree online route both flexible and cost-effective, leading to specialized roles helping individuals with behavioral needs.

Choose the path that best aligns with your interests, budget, and career aspirations to make the most of your Social Sciences and Humanities education in the USA.