<h3>The Cultural Evolution Society is a professional scientific society that advances the theory and practice of cultural evolutionary studies. Our goal is to build capacity for researchers, educators, and practitioners to coordinate efforts.</h3>

<p>Our capacity for culture stems from our ability to receive, process, integrate, and transmit information across generations. The study of human culture and cultural change has made great strides during the last few decades in fields such as anthropology, computer science, evolutionary biology, neurobiology, psychology, and sociology. A great deal of progress has been made in parallel with the study of animal behavior in primate studies, ethology more broadly, and the various ecological sciences. Yet, the study of cultural change as an evolutionary process, similar to genetic evolution but with its own inheritance mechanisms, is only now becoming a central area of scientific inquiry that spans these disciplines and holds much potential for academic integration.

Outside the Ivory Tower, all public policies attempt to accomplish cultural change in a practical sense to reach their various objectives, yet they rarely draw upon an explicit scientific theory of cultural change. A new society is needed to catalyze the study of cultural change from a modern evolutionary perspective, both inside and outside the Ivory Tower.

A 2015 Evolution Institute workshop, “Advancing the Study of Cultural Evolution: Academic Integration and Policy Applications,” laid the groundwork for the formation of this society. The workshop was organized by Michele Gelfand, a cultural psychologist at the University of Maryland, and the biologist David Sloan Wilson.

The participants represented a melting pot of disciplines that need to become integrated to create a science of cultural change informed by evolutionary theory. They strongly endorsed the need for a society to accomplish the objectives identified during the workshop.</p>


Cultural Evolution Society

Welcome to the Capstone Conference of the [CES Transformation Fund](https://ces-transformationfund.org/) which was a hybrid conference held at Durham University (UK). The conference celebrated the achievements of 22 awardees of the grant scheme. Together they are helping to build a richer and more diverse cultural evolution field, whilst catalysing the application of cultural evolution research to global human futures.

Over the 2 days, each funded [Research Project, Applied Working Group, and Seedcorn Project](https://ces-transformationfund.org/our-projects/) presented their research. A professional live scribe from [Nifty Fox Creative](https://www.niftyfoxcreative.com/) created and showcased public communication illustrations for each presentation. On Thursday afternoon, there was a workshop on generating societal impact from research, and in the evening there was a ‘show and tell’ session with drinks reception (plus a dinner for awardees and invited others), while Friday wrapped up with a discussion of future directions for the cultural evolution field.
 

Organised by the CES Transformation Fund [Team](https://ces-transformationfund.org/people/):

* Rachel Kendal (Project Leader and PI)
* Lorna Winship (Grant Manager)
* Sarah Wright (Assistant Manager)
* Dr. Eva Reindl (Postdoctoral Researcher)

The grant scheme and capstone conference is generously funded by the [John Templeton Foundation](https://www.templeton.org/).


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CES Transformation Fund Capstone Conference 2024

The Capstone Conference of the CES Transformation Fund celebrates the achievements of 22 awardees of the grant scheme. Together they are helping to build a richer and more diverse cultural evolution field, whilst catalysing the application of cultural evolution research to global human futures.

CES Transformation Fund Capstone Conference 2024

The Capstone Conference of the CES Transformation Fund celebrates the achievements of 22 awardees of the grant scheme. Together they are helping to build a richer and more diverse cultural evolution field, whilst catalysing the application of cultural evolution research to global human futures.

15

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38

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12

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