Niclas Kolm

Niclas Kolm is a Professor at the Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, leading a research group focused on experimental and comparative studies of brain evolution and behavior. His work spans vertebrates including guppies, cichlids, birds, dogs, and marine mammals, employing artificial selection experiments and phylogenetic analyses.

• Head of laboratory facilities with >4000 aquaria and specialized behavioral assay rooms
• Collaborations with international researchers in evolutionary biology and neuroscience

Research emphasizes:

• Mosaic brain evolution and cognitive function relationships
• Trade-offs between neural investment and physiological traits
• Ecological and social drivers of encephalization
• Sexual selection's role in reproductive trait coevolution

Recent publications demonstrate experimental evidence for brain region specialization, cognitive costs/benefits of neural investment, and evolutionary patterns in social behavior. Group maintains extensive guppy selection lines for studying cognition-brain morphology links.

• Phylogenetic comparative analyses across 4500+ vertebrate species
• Artificial selection experiments on telencephalon size and cognition
• Behavioral assay systems for inhibition, learning, and social interactions