Eörs Szathmáry is professor of biology and head at the Department of Plant Taxonomy and Ecology of Eötvös University, Budapest, where he is also the chairman of the PhD programme in theoretical biology and ecology. His main interest is theoretical evolutionary biology and focuses on the common principles of the major steps in evolution, such as the origin of life, the emergence of cells, the origin of animal societies and the appearance of human language. Together with his mentor, John Maynard Smith, he published two important books that serve as the main reference of the field (The Major Transitions in Evolution, Freeman, Oxford, 1995 and The Origins of Life, 1999). He serves on the editorial board of several journals (Journal of Theoretical Biology, Journal of Evolutionary Biology, Origins of Life and Evolution of the Biosphere, Evolutionary Ecology and Evolution of Communication). Since 1999 he is the Editor-in-Chief of the new journal Selection. Professor Szathmáry was awarded the New Europe Prize in 1996 by a network of Institutes of Advances Study that he used to create the foundation NEST (New Europe School for Theoretical Biology), a means to help young Hungarian theoretical biologists. The Hungarian Academy of science acknowledged his outstanding scientific contribution with the Prize of the Academy in 1999.