Fieldwork in the Finnish Baltic requires a warm, waterproof dry suit (the one I am wearing in this picture has none of these qualities).
Photo: Kaisa Mäki-Kihniä. I am a behavioural and evolutionary ecologist. Although I have worked on topics as diverse as vigilance behaviour in emus, anti-predator behaviour in fiddler crabs and sexually deceptive mimicry in orchids, the bulk of my research concerns the tackling of topical issues in sexual selection and speciation theory, and my favourite study subjects are fish
In my work, I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to some amazing locations, such as the wet tropics region in north Queensland, the Sierra Madre in Mexico, and the Finnish Baltic (I next plan to work on desert-dwelling fishes in Central Australia). It’s not all glamorous though: most of the time I’m stuck in an aquarium room, listening to the sound of gurgling water, and staring into fish tanks or, otherwise, immersed in water that (depending on location) may be infested with crocodiles, polluted with human effluent, or is uncomfortably cold. At those times, I find that an inquiring mind, a fondness for your study organism, and a passion for science really helps!
Below I have set out the inter-related themes that occupy most of my research and a brief overview of some of my work. For a more comprehensive overview, please check out my list of publications.
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