Jay Phelan

Jay Phelan has been on the faculty of the UCLA Life Sciences Core Program since 1997, specializing in evolutionary biology, human behavior, and genetics. He received a Ph.D. in Biology from Harvard, and master's and bachelor's degrees from Yale and UCLA. He is the author of the textbook What is Life? A Guide to Biology (Macmillan; now in its 5th edition), and co-author of the international bestseller, Mean Genes (Basic Books; translated into nine languages) and The Secret Syllabus (Princeton University Press). He has written dozens of technical publications both in biology and science education. He has appeared on ABC's Nightline, CNN, the BBC, and National Public Radio. His work has also been featured in USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, MSNBC, a TEDx talk, and Elle magazine. He is the recipient of more than a dozen teaching awards, including UCLA's Distinguished Teaching Award.