| 1 | Name: | Dr. Robert Axelrod | |
| Institution: | University of Michigan | ||
| Year Elected: | 2004 | ||
| Class: | 3. Social Sciences | ||
| Subdivision: | 304. Jurisprudence and Political Science | ||
| Residency: | Resident | ||
| Living? : | Living | ||
| Birth Date: | 1943 | ||
First trained in mathematics, Robert Axelrod shifted to political science to study conflicts of interest. His path-breaking work on the elusive optimal strategy for the famous "Prisoner's Dilemma" problem in Game Theory attracted the collaboration of noted biologist William D. Hamilton in a landmark paper. It was also a central ingredient, much expanded, in his book The Evolution of Cooperation, a classic which has stimulated an international cottage industry under the rubric "Cooperation Theory." Further contributions have involved work on coalitions in electoral politics and papers in international relations, involving both formal theory and such applications as a recent proposal for practical reform of the United Nations Security Council, taking account of the welter of strong conflicts of interest present. Dr. Axelrod is a member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences. He has been a professor at the University of Michigan since 1980. In 2014 he was awarded the National Medal of Science. | |||