Explanations for the evolution of language have traditionally relied on natural selection. My research questions the primacy of natural selection and focuses on the cultural evolution of language and linguistic structure. Using computational modelling, we can simulate many generations of agents, with each agent learning and generalising from observed linguistic performance. What kind of learning biases lead to the spontaneous emergence of linguistic structure? This is the principle question addressed by my Ph.D research. Before starting this P.hD I was a research scientist at Sharp Laboratories of Europe where I worked in the field of information retrieval and data mining. I have a BSc. in Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science, and an MSc. in Cognitive Science. I am from Oxford, England.

http://www.ling.ed.ac.uk/~henryb