Professor Benedict Jones
Psychology
Personal statement
Personal statement
My research investigates the factors that influence appearance-based social stereotypes.
I completed my PhD in Psychology at University of St Andrews in 2005 and was promoted to Professor in 2011 while at University of Aberdeen. I joined Strathclyde from University of Glasgow in May 2020.
My work has been funded by grants from the European Research Council and the ESRC. My current research is funded by the EPSRC and ESRC and investigates (1) how social stereotypes influence how we interact with artificial conversational agents, such as Alexa and Siri (EPSRC), and (2) how face-shape influences social stereotypes in different world regions (ESRC).
I am interested in supervising postgraduate research on any aspect of social stereotypes, mate preferences, or responses to social cues.
Back to staff profile
Publications
- Little evidence for group differences in 2D:4D ratios based on sexual orientation after adjusting for publication bias
- Shiramizu Victor, Bartoš František, Jones Benedict C, Pollet Thomas V
- Hormones and Behavior Vol 180 (2026)
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2026.105921
- Views of facial attractiveness of faces of individuals with and without an intellectual disability
- Whitby‐Tillott Harriet, Donnachie Madeline, Jones Benedict, Jahoda Andrew
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities Vol 39 (2026)
- https://doi.org/10.1111/jar.70161
- Facial femininity of potential rivals predicts jealousy in both heterosexual and lesbian women
- Dong Junzhi, Jones Benedict C, Miyake Esperanza, Shiramizu Victor K M
- Scientific Reports Vol 15 (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-27643-0
- Participants reporting greater desire to have children demonstrate weaker preferences for younger adult faces
- Li Jingheng, Lee Pengting, Jones Benedict C, Shiramizu Victor K M
- PLoS ONE Vol 20 (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0336292
- No evidence that women’s sociosexuality or self-perceived mate value predict their preferences for men’s face-shape masculinity
- Lee Pengting, Li Jingheng, Jones Benedict C, Shiramizu Victor K M
- Evolutionary Psychology Vol 23, pp. 1-8 (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.1177/14747049251376924
- Testing for individual differences in the effects of men's physical attractiveness and perceived abusiveness on women's hypothetical dating decisions
- Leger Kathlyne, Jones Benedict C, Shiramizu Victor K M
- Scientific Reports Vol 15 (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-07575-5
Back to staff profile
Projects
- Socially Progressive AI Lab
- Noto La Diega, Guido (Principal Investigator) Miyake, Esperanza (Principal Investigator) Harkens, Adam (Co-investigator) Moncur, Wendy (Co-investigator) Weaver, Beth (Co-investigator) Nikou, Stavros (Co-investigator) Jones, Benedict (Co-investigator) Cunningham, Scott (Co-investigator) Dorfler, Viktor (Co-investigator) Liu, Xi (Co-investigator)
- The Socially Progressive AI Lab (SPAI-Lab) is the University of Strathclyde's hub for impactful research, collaborative bids, engagement and networking—shaping policy, technical design and regulation in Scotland, the UK and internationally. Scotland's AI Strategy 2026-2013 spotlights the Lab as a key example of "world-leading AI research".
Based in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, SPAI-Lab involves colleagues from all the faculties (Engineering, Science, Strathclyde Business School), bridging humanities‑led approaches and tech‑centred methods. The Lab's research and activities are guided by a commitment to socially progressive deployment of AI that advances equity, upholds human rights and serves the public good.
The SPAI-Lab brings together over 90 experts from across the University and is co-led by Dr Esperanza Miyake and Professor Guido Noto La Diega and is supported by a cross-Faculty, cross-departmental steering committee: Professor Wendy Moncur, Professor Beth Weaver,
Dr Stavros Nikou, Professor Ben Jones, Dr Xi Liu, Dr Adam Harkens, Professor Scott Cunningham, Professor Viktor Dorfler. - 26-Jan-2026
- Using secondary data analyses to establish whether face-shape characteristics predict social judgments of faces consistently across world regions
- Jones, Benedict (Principal Investigator)
- 01-Jan-2023 - 09-Jan-2025
- Designing Conversational Assistants to Reduce Gender Bias
- Jones, Benedict (Principal Investigator)
- 01-Jan-2020 - 31-Jan-2024