My name is Hoi-Lam Jim, and I assumed the position of Program-Specific Assistant Professor at the Kyoto University Institute for the Future of Human Society in March 2026.

I am a comparative psychologist specialising in social cognition and cooperation in group-living mammals. Humans are remarkably cooperative; we help others even at a cost to ourselves. I am interested in understanding whether this behaviour is unique to our species and, if so, to what extent. To investigate the origins of the social mind, I study nonhuman animals that are also highly social and cooperative.

I am particularly interested in animals that are evolutionarily distant from humans but have independently evolved analogous traits through convergent evolution, such as elephants, dogs, and wolves. Currently, my research focuses on various aspects of elephant cognition, including how they perceive their social world and make decisions, and what this tells us about the evolution of cooperation more broadly.

During my PhD, I studied dogs and wolves to understand why dogs are so remarkably cooperative with humans, and whether this is a product of domestication or reflects the inherently cooperative nature of their ancestors. Again, this sheds light on the evolution of cooperation and deepens our understanding of the unique relationship between humans and dogs, a species I continue to work with today.

Whether wild, captive, or domesticated, we share our world with animals. I hope my work can contribute to improving coexistence between humans and animals — from mitigating human-elephant conflict to improving captive elephant welfare and our relationship with dogs — while also furthering our understanding of human nature from evolutionary and comparative perspectives.

Personal page: https://ifohs.kyoto-u.ac.jp/en/archives/member/hoi-lam-jim-2