Neu Biographie | 2021 | 1

EMIL KIRKEGAARD
BIOGRAPHY

INTELLIGENCE RESEARCHER AND DATA SCIENTIST

Emil Ole William Kirkegaard is a Danish intelligence researcher

and autodidact. Holding a bachelor degree in linguistics from Aarhus
University in Denmark, one of the top ranked universities in the world,
Emil Kirkegaard has published extensively in peer reviewed journals,
mostly focusing on intelligence research and stereotypes. A 2019
scientometric study found Kirkegaard to be one of the most
controversial intelligence researchers. He is a research fellow at
Richard Lynn's Ulster Institute for Social Research and his work has
been recommended by the famous American political scientist Charles
Murray. Kirkegaard is a descendant of the Danish painter Harald
Rudyard Engman, who was forced to flee Denmark during the Nazi occupation due to his anti-Nazi
work. Emil Kirkegaard, however, is not related to the existentialist philosopher Søren Kierkegaard.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

OPENPSYCH JOURNALS
In 2014, Kirkegaard founded the OpenPsych journals together with Davide Piffer, an Italian
intelligence researcher. The journals follow modern open-science principles featuring open-access,
open-data, and open-research materials, as well as open-peer review. The journals have been
criticized by journalists and academics alike. However, criticism of the journals fails to amount to
anything resembling a sound philosophical critique. Noah Carl, Emil Kirkegaard, and other members
of staff later published an editorial defending the journals against accusations. In early 2021, the
journals were merged to a single mega-journal and resumed publication after a 2 year hiatus.

OKCUPID DATA RELEASE

Emil Kirkegaard made international news in 2016 when he published a dataset built from user
data from the dating websiteOKCupid. The data had been gathered from the site using a webscraper.
The compiled dataset was uploaded to Open Science Framework's servers, but was later deleted at
the request of the dating site itself on copyright grounds (DMCA). Both the data and the study based
 Neu Biographie | 2021 | 2

on the data still remain online. The incident itself has been used as a case study in research ethics.
Emil Kirkegaard's stated reason for releasing the data was his support for open data in research.

LONDON CONFERENCE ON INTELLIGENCE RESEARCH

Kirkegaard has been a key organizer and regular attendee of the London Conference on
Intelligence (LCI) which is held to discuss intelligence (IQ) research and related topics. The
conference was held on the campus of University College London from 2014 until 2017. The
conference was moved from London to Skanderborg, Denmark, in May 2018. It was held in
unannounced locations in 2019 and 2020.

WEB LINKS

● Official website
● Google Scholar
● OpenPsych
● London Conference on Intelligence

SELECTED WORKS (2021)

TITLE AUTHOR(S) TYPE OUTLET PEER DATE

REVIEWED

A replication of the S factor Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research The No 2015-06-25

among US states paper Winnower

Admixture in Argentina Emil O. W. Kirkegaard, John Research Mankind Yes 2017-06-12

Fuerst paper Quarterly

Admixture in the Americas: Emil O. W. Kirkegaard, John Conferenc London Yes 2015-05-09
Can racial ancestry predict Fuerst e Conference
cognitive ability and presentati of
socioeconomic outcomes? on Intelligence
2015

Admixture in the Americas: John Fuerst, Emil O. W. Research Mankind Yes 2016-03-14
Regional and National Kirkegaard paper Quarterly
Differences

An S factor among census Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research The No 2015-05-29

tracts of Boston paper Winnower
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An S Factor Analysis on the Emil O. W. Kirkegaard, Research Mankind Yes 2018-06-10

Provinces of Vietnam: Bryan J. Pesta paper Quarterly
Relationships with Cognitive
Ability, Ethnicity, and Latitude

Are Danes’ Immigration Policy Emil O. W. Kirkegaard, Research Societies Yes 2020-03-26
Preferences Based on Accurate Noah Carl, Julius Daugbjerg paper
Stereotypes? Bjerrekær

Are Headstart gains on the g Jan te Nijenhuis, Birthe Research Intelligence Yes 2014-07-01
factor?: A meta-analysis Jongeneel-Grimen and Emil paper
O. W. Kirkegaard

Are immigration policy Emil O. W. Kirkegaard, Conferenc London Yes 2018-05-12

preferences based on accurate Noah Carl, Julius Daugbjerg e Conference
stereotypes? Bjerrekær presentati of
on Intelligence
2018

Are there Complex Assortative Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research Mankind Yes 2021-03-17
Mating Patterns for Humans? paper Quarterly
Analysis of 340 Spanish
Couples

Automatic testing of all Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research The No 2015-03-12

possible multiple regression paper Winnower
models given a set of predictors

Bibliometric Keyword Analysis Bryan J. Pesta, John Fuerst, Research Journal of Yes 2018-10-17
across Seventeen Years Emil O. W. Kirkegaard paper Intelligence
(2000–2016) of Intelligence
Articles

Biogeographic Ancestry and Emil O. W. Kirkegaard, Research Mankind Yes 2017-04-08

Socioeconomic Outcomes in the Mingrui Wang, John Fuerst paper Quarterly
Americas: A Meta-Analysis

Biogeographic Ancestry and Emil O. W. Kirkegaard, Conferenc London Yes 2016-05-14

Socioeconomic Outcomes in the Mingrui Wang, John Fuerst e Conference
Americas: a Meta-analysis presentati of
on Intelligence
2016
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Cognitive ability and political Emil O. W. Kirkegaard, Research Open Yes 2017-02-22
preferences in Denmark Julius D. Bjerrekær, Noah paper Quantitative
Carl Sociology &
Political
Science

Country of origin and use of Emil O. W. Kirkegaard, Research Open Yes 2016-11-11
social benefits: A large, Julius D. Bjerrekær paper Differential
preregistered study of Psychology
stereotype accuracy in
Denmark

Country of origin and use of Emil O. W. Kirkegaard, Research Open Yes 2016-04-18
social benefits: A pilot study of Julius D. Bjerrekær paper Differential
stereotype accuracy in Psychology
Denmark

Country of Origin IQ and Emil O. W. Kirkegaard, Jurij Research Mankind Yes 2021-03-15
Muslim Percentage Predict Fedorov paper Quarterly
Grade Point Average in School
among 116 Immigrant Groups
in Denmark

County-level USA: No Robust Bryan Pesta, John Fuerst, Research Journal of Yes 2021-02-07
Relationship between Emil O. W. Kirkegaard paper Geographica
Geoclimatic Variables and l Research
Cognitive Ability

Crime among Dutch Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research Open Yes 2015-10-03

immigrant groups is paper Differential
predictable from country-level Psychology
variables

Crime, income, educational Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research Open Yes 2014-10-09

attainment and employment paper Differential
among immigrant groups in Psychology
Norway and Finland

Criminality among Norwegian Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research Open Yes 2014-04-04

immigrant populations paper Differential
Psychology

Criminality and fertility Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research Open Yes 2014-03-24

among Danish immigrant paper Differential
populations Psychology
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Differential immigrant group Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Conferenc London Yes 2017-05-13

performance: A matter of e Conference
intelligence? presentati of
on Intelligence
2017

Do National IQs Predict U.S. John Fuerst, Emil O. W. Research Open Yes 2014-04-12
Immigrant Cognitive Ability Kirkegaard paper Differential
and Outcomes? An Analysis of Psychology
the National Longitudinal
Survey of Freshman

Does intelligence explain Bryan J. Pesta, John Fuerst, Research Intelligence Yes 2019-01-22
national score variance on Emil O. W. Kirkegaard, paper
graduate admissions exams? Brent Papaleo

Does sub-European genomic Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research Open Yes 2016-09-12

ancestry predict outcomes for paper Quantitative
US states? Sociology &
Political
Science

Editorial: A Response to Noah Carl, Emil O. W. Editorial Open Yes 2018-11-02

Criticisms of the OpenPsych Kirkegaard, Marc Dalliard, Differential
Journals Peter Frost, Kenya Kura, Psychology
Gerhard Meisenberg, Bryan
J. Pesta, Heiner
Rindermann, Robert L.
Williams

Educational attainment, Emil O. W. Kirkegaard, John Research Open Yes 2014-05-12

income, use of social benefits, Fuerst paper Differential
crime rate and the general Psychology
socioeconomic factor among 70
immigrant groups in Denmark.

Employment Rates for 11 Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research Mankind Yes 2017-12-01

Country of Origin Groups in paper Quarterly
Scandinavia

Examining the S factor in Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research The No 2015-04-19

Mexican states paper Winnower

Examining the S factor in US Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research The No 2015-03-11

states paper Winnower
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Filling in the Gaps: The Meng Hu, Jordan Lasker, Research Psych Yes 2019-05-22
Association between Emil O. W. Kirkegaard, John paper
Intelligence and Both Color Fuerst
and Parent-Reported Ancestry
in the National Longitudinal
Survey of Youth 1997

Finding mixed cases in Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research The No 2015-04-29

exploratory factor analysis paper Winnower

First Names, Cognitive Ability Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research Mankind Yes 2019-06-20
and Social Status in Denmark paper Quarterly

Fluid g in Scandinavia and Edward Dutton, Emil O. W. Research Open Yes 2014-11-18
Finland: Comparing results Kirkegaard paper Differential
from PISA Creative Problem Psychology
Solving and the WAIS IV
matrices subtest

Genetically-measured Emil O. W. Kirkegaard, Conferenc London Yes 2019-05-15

European Ancestry: Predicting Jordan Lasker, John G. R. e Conference
the IQs of Participants in the Fuerst, Bryan J. Pesta presentati of
Philadelphia on Intelligence
Neurodevelopmental Cohort 2019
Study

Genomic ancestry, cognitive Emil O. W. Kirkegaard, John Conferenc ISIR Yes 2017-07-16
ability, and socioeconomic Fuerst e conference
status presentati 2017
on (Montreal)

Global Ancestry and Cognitive Jordan Lasker, Bryan J. Research Psych Yes 2019-08-28
Ability Pesta, John G. R. Fuerst, paper
Emil O. W. Kirkegaard

Human Biodiversity for Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Book Mankind Yes 2020-03-01

Beginners: A Review of review Quarterly
Charles Murray's Human
Diversity

ICAR5: design and validation Emil O. W. Kirkegaard, Research Open Yes 2016-07-11
of a 5-item public domain Julius D. Bjerrekær paper Differential
cognitive ability test Psychology
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Immigrant crime in Germany Emil O. W. Kirkegaard, Research Open Yes 2017-02-11

2012-2015 David Becker paper Quantitative
Sociology &
Political
Science

Immigrant GPA in Danish Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research Open Yes 2015-06-04

primary school is predictable paper Differential
from country-level variables Psychology

Increasing inequality in Emil O. W. Kirkegaard, Bo Research Open Yes 2015-03-04

general intelligence and Tranberg paper Differential
socioeconomic status as a Psychology
result of immigration in
Denmark 1980-2014

Indian states: G and S factors Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research The No 2015-03-18

paper Winnower

Inequality across prefectures Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research Open Yes 2016-04-06

in Japan: An S factor analysis paper Quantitative
Sociology &
Political
Science

Inequality across US counties: Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research Open Yes 2016-05-23

an S factor analysis paper Quantitative
Sociology &
Political
Science

Inequality among 32 London Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research Open Yes 2016-01-26

Boroughs: An S factor analysis paper Quantitative
Sociology &
Political
Science

Inequality in the United Emil O. W. Kirkegaard, John Research Mankind Yes 2016-06-11
States: Ethnicity, Racial Fuerst paper Quarterly
Admixtureand Environmental
Causes

Intelligence and Religiosity Emil O. W. Kirkegaard, Research Psych Yes 2019-12-23

among Dating Site Users Jordan Lasker paper
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International differences in Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research The No 2015-03-18

intelligence can be confusing: A paper Winnower
commentary on Harrison et al
(2015)

IQ and socioeconomic Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research The No 2015-06-26

development across Regions of paper Winnower
the UK: a reanalysis

IQ and Socioeconomic Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research Mankind Yes 2015-12-01

Variables in French paper Quarterly
Departements: Reanalysis and
New Data

Is Gout Related to Emil O. W. Kirkegaard; Research Mankind Yes 2020-09-01

Achievement? Testing the Uric Helmuth Nyborg paper Quarterly
Acid Hypothesis in the
Vietnam Experience Project

Is National Mental Sport Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research Mankind Yes 2019-03-15

Ability a Sign of Intelligence? paper Quarterly
An Analysis of the Top Players
of 12 Mental Sports

Is national mental sport ability Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Conferenc ISIR Yes 2018-07-14
a sign of intelligence? An e conference
analysis of the top players of presentati 2018
12 mental sports on (Edinburgh)

Latent variable moderation of Michael Anthony Woodley of Research ResearchGat No 2020-03-01

the negative fertility-item pass Menie; Emil O. W. paper e
rate association in two, large Kirkegaard; Gerhard
datasets: An item response Meisenberg
theory analysis.

Linguistic features in names Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research Open Yes 2018-12-12

and social status: an paper Differential
exploratory study of 1,890 Psychology
Danish first names

Lyddansk Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Book None No 2010-10-01

Machine learning Andrew Cutler, Shane Research ISIR Yes 2019-07-12

psychometrics: Improved McLoughlin, Curtis Dunkel, paper conference
cognitive ability validity from Emil O. W. Kirkegaard 2019
supervised training on item (Minneapoli
level data s)
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Mental illness and the left Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research Mankind Yes 2020-05-01
paper Quarterly

National Intelligence Is More Emil O. W. Kirkegaard, Research Mankind Yes 2020-12-01

Important for Explaining Anatoly Karlin paper Quarterly
Country Well-Being than Time
Preference and Other
Measured Non-Cognitive
Traits

Net fiscal contributions of Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research Open Yes 2017-05-21

immigrant groups in Denmark paper Quantitative
and Finland are highly Sociology &
predictable from country of Political
origin IQ and Muslim% Science

Omtale af ekstremisme i Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research None No 2013-10-26

danske medier i årene paper
2003-2013: En kvatitativ
analyse

Opinions about nuclear energy Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research The No 2015-03-15

and global warming, and paper Winnower
wordsum intelligence

Polygenic Scores Mediate the Curtis Dunkel, Michael A. Research Evolutionar Yes 2019-01-24
Jewish Phenotypic Advantage Woodley of Menie, Jonatan paper y Behavioral
in Educational Attainment and Pallesen, Emil O. W. Sciences
Cognitive Ability Compared Kirkegaard
With Catholics and Lutherans

Polygenic scores, genetic Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Comment The No 2015-09-30

engineering, validity of GWAS ary Winnower
results across major racial
groups and the Piffer method

Predicting a Pandemic: testing Emil O. W. Kirkegaard, Wael Research Psyarxiv No 2020-04-05

crowd wisdom and expert Taji, Arjen Gerritsen paper
forecasting amidst the novel
COVID-19 outbreak

Predicting Immigrant IQ from Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research Mankind Yes 2013-12-31

their Countries of Origin, and paper Quarterly
Lynn's National IQs: A Case
Study from Denmark
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Public Preferences and Reality: Emil O. W. Kirkegaard, Max Research Mankind Yes 2020-03-01
Crime Rates among 70 De Kuijper paper Quarterly
Immigrant Groups in the
Netherlands

Pupil Size and Intelligence: A Emil O. W. Kirkegaard; Research Mankind Yes 2020-05-01
Large-Scale Replication Study Helmuth Nyborg paper Quarterly

Race Differences: A Very Brief Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research Mankind Yes 2019-12-01
Review paper Quarterly

Racial and ethnic group Bryan J. Pesta, Emil O. W. Research Intelligence Yes 2019-11-28
differences in the heritability Kirkegaard, Jan te paper
of intelligence: A systematic Nijenhuis, Jordan Lasker,
review and meta-analysis John G. R. Fuerst

Regional differences in Richard Lynn, John Fuerst, Research Intelligence Yes 2018-04-23
intelligence in 22 countries and Emil O. W. Kirkegaard paper
their economic, social and
demographic correlates: A
review

S and G in Italian regions: Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research The No 2015-03-05

Re-analysis of Lynn's data and paper Winnower
new data

Self-reported criminal and Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research Open Yes 2018-01-10

anti-social behavior on a paper Differential
dating site: the importance of Psychology
cognitive ability

Semantic discussions of Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Comment Open Yes 2014-04-17

intelligence and the ary Differential
(un)importance of the study of Psychology
race and g: A comment on
Hunt and Jaeggi (2013)

Sex Differences in 32,347 Ismael S Al-Bursan, Emil O. Research Journal of Yes 2018-11-26
Jordanian 4th Graders on the W. Kirkegaard, John Fuerst, paper Individual
National Exam of Mathematics Salaheldin Farah, Differences
Salaheldin Farah Attallah
Bakhiet, Mohammad F Al
Qudah, Elsayed Mohammed
Abu, Hashem Hassan, Adel
Abduljabbar
 Neu Biographie | 2021 | 11

Sex Distribution, Life Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research Mankind Yes 2017-10-01

Expectancy and Educational paper Quarterly
Attainment of Comedians

Smart and Poor, or Rich and Emil O. W. Kirkegaard, Research Mankind Yes 2019-12-01
Dull? A U.S. County-Level Bryan J. Pesta paper Quarterly
Analysis of the Relationship
between IQ and
Presidential-Election Voting
Behavior

Solid Numbers, Missed Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research Evolutionar Yes 2019-08-15

Opportunities: Review of The paper y Behavioral
Intelligence of Nations, by Sciences
Richard Lynnand David
Becker

Some methods for measuring Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research The No 2015-10-20

and correcting for spatial paper Winnower
autocorrelation

Some new methods for Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research Open Yes 2016-11-07
exploratory factor analysis of paper Quantitative
socioeconomic data Sociology &
Political
Science

Spearman's hypothesis on Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research The No 2015-03-23

item-level data from Raven's paper Winnower
Standard Progressive
Matrices: A replication and
extension

Strong negative relationship Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research The No 2015-03-11

between population-level paper Winnower
general intelligence and ADHD
genetic factors inferred from
allele frequencies

The Effect of Biracial Status John Fuerst, Richard Lynn, Research Psych Yes 2019-03-07
and Color on Crystallized Emil O. W. Kirkegaard paper
Intelligence in the U.S.-Born
African-European American
Population

The Genealogy of Differences John Fuerst, Emil O. W. Research Mankind Yes 2016-03-14
in the Americas Kirkegaard paper Quarterly
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The general socioeconomic Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research The No 2016-06-16

factor among Colombian paper Winnower
departments

The genetic correlation Davide Piffer, Emil O. W. Research Open Yes 2014-04-12
between educational Kirkegaard paper Behavioral
attainment, intracranial Genetics
volume and IQ is due to recent
polygenic selection on general
cognitive ability

The Intelligence of Biracial Emil O. W. Kirkegaard, Research Psych Yes 2019-04-24

Children of U.S. Servicemen in Jordan Lasker, Kenya Kura paper
Northeast Asia: Results from
Japan

The international general Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research Open Yes 2014-09-08

socioeconomic factor: Factor paper Differential
analyzing international Psychology
rankings

The left-liberal skew of Emil O. W. Kirkegaard, Conferenc London Yes 2018-05-12

Western media Noah Carl et al e Conference
presentati of
on Intelligence
2018

The OKCupid dataset: a very Emil O. W. Kirkegaard, Conferenc ISIR Yes 2016-07-15
large open dataset of dating Julius D. Bjerrekær e conference
site users presentati 2016 (Saint
on Petersburg)

The OKCupid dataset: A very Emil O. W. Kirkegaard, Research Open Yes 2016-11-03
large public dataset of dating Julius D. Bjerrekær paper Differential
site users Psychology

The overlapping geography of Péter Przemyslaw Ujma, Research Psyarxiv No 2020-07-09

cognitive ability and Emil O. W. Kirkegaard paper
chronotype

The personal Jensen coefficient Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research Open Yes 2014-10-30
does not predict grades beyond paper Differential
its association with g Psychology

The S factor in Brazilian states Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research The No 2015-04-30

paper Winnower
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The S factor in China Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research The No 2015-03-05

paper Winnower

The S factor in the British Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research The No 2015-03-28

Isles: A reanalysis of Lynn paper Winnower
(1979)

Understanding admixture Emil O. W. Kirkegaard, John Conferenc London Yes 2018-05-12

analysis Fuerst e Conference
presentati of
on Intelligence
2018

Validating a Danish Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research Open Yes 2015-07-31

translation of the International Oliver Nordbjerg paper Differential
Cognitive Ability Resource Psychology
sample test and Cognitive
Reflection Test in a student
sample

What Happened to Brussels? Emil O. W. Kirkegaard, Research Mankind Yes 2020-12-01

The Big Decline and Muslim Baptiste Dumoulin paper Quarterly
Immigration

What is a good name? The S Emil O. W. Kirkegaard, Bo Research The No 2015-06-03

factor in Denmark at the Tranberg paper Winnower
name-level

Which immigrant groups do Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research London Yes 2014-04-26

well in Denmark and Norway paper Conference
and why? of
Intelligence
2014

Why do persons from higher Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Research The No 2015-05-12

mean IQ populations do better paper Winnower
even after selection?

Åbne data og metoder Emil O. W. Kirkegaard Conferenc Dansk No 2019-05-27

e Psykolog
presentati Forening:
on selskab for
metodologi