Michael Jennions

Prof. Michael Jennions is a Professor in the Division of Ecology and Evolution at the Australian National University's Research School of Biology. He holds a PhD from Oxford University (1996) and has conducted research globally, including at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (Panama). His work focuses on evolutionary biology, behavioral ecology, and sexual selection, with a particular interest in meta-analytic methods. He leads a lab studying mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki), examining topics like sperm competition, parental care, and life history evolution. He has held advisory roles at the Max Planck Institutes for Biological Intelligence (2024) and Ornithology (2021, 2018). His research spans empirical studies, theoretical models, and collaborative projects on topics such as sexual selection theory and publication bias. Notable awards include a STRI Fellowship (1997).

Education: PhD in Signalling and Sexual Selection (Oxford, 1996). Research highlights include experimental work on animal behavior, meta-analyses of ecological patterns, and studies on inbreeding effects. His lab emphasizes collaborative environments and high-impact publications.

Research Interests: Sexual selection mechanisms, reproductive decisions, meta-analytic techniques, and the ecological consequences of behavioral traits. He investigates topics such as the costs of mating effort, cognitive performance in fish, and the evolution of mating systems.

Grants & Projects: Includes studies on cognitive performance in mosquitofish, thermal ecology of sexual conflict, and age-dependent sex allocation. His work bridges experimental and theoretical approaches to understand evolutionary processes.

Labs/Teams: Directs a productive lab group, mentoring students and postdocs in evolutionary and behavioral research. Collaborates internationally with institutions like the Max Planck Society and the University of Zurich.