Kelly Stiver Dr.

Past Research: At ABEL, Dr. Stiver studied cooperation and dispersal in a cichlid fish. She collaborated on a number of projects, including a genetic investigation that used microsatellite markers to look at the relatedness and skew patterns among groups of fish in order to explore the relationship between helping effort and relatedness. She was also part of a field study that looked at the effects of ecological factors on the social dynamics of N. pulcher groups.

Current Position: Dr. Stiver is now an Associate Professor at Southern Connecticut State University. She applies evolutionary theory to social behavior (predominantly cooperative behavior, typically in the context of simultaneous competition/conflict) in an attempt to understand the factors maintaining it (e.g. hormonal and neural mechanisms), the benefits arising from it, and the environmental factors that predict or disrupt it. Her recent major focus has been on cooperation among current unrelated reproductive competitors, particularly those with alternative reproductive tactics -- where individuals use discretely distinct reproductive behaviors -- using two fish species. She also conducts research on relationship conflict in humans.