Leda Cosmides



Leda Cosmides, (born May 7, 1957 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an United States|American psychologist, who, together with anthropologist husband John Tooby, helped pioneer the field of evolutionary psychology.

Cosmides originally studied biology at Harvard University, receiving her A.B. in 1979. While an undergraduate she was influenced by the pioneering evolutionary biologist Robert L. Trivers who was her advisor. In 1985 Cosmides received a Ph.D in cognitive psychology (also from Harvard). After completing postdoctoral work under Roger Shepard at Stanford University, Cosmides joined the faculty of the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1991, becoming a full professor in 2000.

In 1992, together with John Tooby and Jerome Barkow, Cosmides edited the immensely influential book The Adapted Mind: Evolutionary Psychology and the Generation of Culture. She and Tooby also co-founded and co-direct the Center for Evolutionary Psychology.