Nicholas A. Christakis

Winner of the Barry Prize, 2024

The prize citation for Dr. Christakis’ Barry Prize reads:

Bringing together the fields of biological science, sociology, computer science, statistics, behavioral genetics, evolutionary biology, epidemiology, and more, Nicholas Christakis has revolutionized the study of social networks in public health. His pathbreaking research into how connections form within such networks and their influence on thoughts, feelings, and behaviors has led to dramatic advances in our ability to address public health challenges and improve life outcomes. The Academy honors Dr. Christakis’ distinguished contributions to humanity’s health and welfare.

Nicholas A. Christakis is the Sterling Professor of Social and Natural Science, appointed in the Departments of Sociology; Statistics and Data Science; Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Biomedical Engineering; Medicine; and the School of Management at Yale University. He conducts research in the fields of network science, biosocial science, and various other fields. His current work focuses on how human biology and health affect, and are affected by, social interactions and social networks. He directs the Human Nature Lab and is the Co-Director of the Yale Institute for Network Science. He was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2006; the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2010; the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2017; and the National Academy of Sciences in 2024. He is the author of over 220 articles and several books. His influential 2009 book, Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives, documented how social networks affect our lives and was translated into twenty foreign languages. His 2019 book, Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society, was a New York Times bestseller and was translated into over ten foreign languages. In 2009, Christakis was named by Time magazine to their annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2009 and in 2010, he was listed by Foreign Policy magazine in their annual list of Top 100 Global Thinkers.

October 2024