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Richard Dawkins

26 March 1941 – present

Richard Dawkins (born 1941) is a British evolutionary biologist and author known for popularizing the gene-centred view of evolution in The Selfish Gene (1976), in which he coined the term meme. He held the Simonyi Professorship for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford from 1995 to 2008 and wrote The God Delusion (2006).

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Life events

Born in Nairobi, Kenya
26 March 1941

Born in Nairobi, where his father was serving in the British colonial agricultural service.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Birth ✓
Family moved from Kenya to England
1949

Returned with his family to England when his father inherited a farm in Oxfordshire.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Graduated in zoology from Balliol College, Oxford
1962

Completed a degree in zoology at the University of Oxford, where he was tutored by Nikolaas Tinbergen.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Earned a DPhil at Oxford under Nikolaas Tinbergen
1966

Completed a doctorate on animal decision-making supervised by the ethologist Nikolaas Tinbergen.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Assistant professor of zoology at the University of California, Berkeley
1967 – 1969

Taught at Berkeley for two years before returning to Oxford as a lecturer in 1970.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Published The Selfish Gene
1976

His first book presented the gene-centred view of evolution and introduced the word meme.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Published The Blind Watchmaker
1986

Set out an argument for natural selection as the explanation for the apparent design of living things.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Married Lalla Ward
1992

Married the actress and illustrator Lalla Ward; the couple separated in 2016.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford
1995 – 2008

Held the newly endowed chair at the University of Oxford until his retirement from it in 2008.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Career ✓
Published The God Delusion
2006

Published a book arguing against belief in a supernatural creator; it sold millions of copies worldwide.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Achievement ✓