Scott A. MacDougall-Shackleton

Dr. Scott MacDougall-Shackleton earned his Honours BSc (1990) and MSc (1991) in Biology at Queen’s University. He then moved to the Johns Hopkins University to complete his PhD (1997) in Psychology, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at Princeton University in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. MacDougall-Shackleton has been at the Department of Psychology at Western University in London, Canada, since 2002 where he is now Professor. He is one of the founders of the Advanced Facility for Avian Research.

MacDougall-Shackleton's research is aimed at understanding how birds work. He focuses on the neural and endocrine mechanisms of bird behaviour, from an ecological and evolutionary perspective. This research integrates across levels of analysis, and research topics have included birdsong learning and perception, neural plasticity, sex differences in the brain, photoperiodism, seasonal reproduction, and seasonal migration.

In addition to his research on birds, MacDougall-Shackleton has a keen interest in how evolutionary theory and perspectives have been used and misused when applied to our understanding of human psychology and culture. These perspectives are explored in his textbook, Evolution & Psychology.