معرفی
Jill Mateo is an Associate Professor at the University of Chicago, affiliated with the Department of Comparative Human Development, Committee on Evolutionary Biology, and The College. She serves as Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS). Her academic journey includes a Ph.D. in Biopsychology from the University of Michigan (1995) and a Research Associate position at Cornell University (1996–2002).
Her research focuses on the ontogeny and plasticity of adaptive behaviors, particularly kin recognition and anti-predator strategies in species like Belding's ground squirrels. She employs an epigenetic approach to study developmental adaptations and their ecological contexts. Her work integrates proximate mechanisms (e.g., hormonal, genetic) with ultimate evolutionary functions.
Key research themes include the role of stress in learning, the genetics of social behaviors, and the application of epigenetic theory to development. She also investigates human social preferences and cognition, extending her expertise in animal behavior to human populations.
Dr. Mateo has been funded by grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institutes of Health (NIH), focusing on topics like kin recognition mechanisms and stress-cognition interactions. She mentors students in interdisciplinary programs, including the Committee on Evolutionary Biology and Department of Comparative Human Development.
- Labs/Teams: Mateo Lab (University of Chicago), field research in the eastern Sierra Nevada.
- Grants and Awards: NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (1989), NSF and NIH grants (2002–2020).
