Sigrunn Eliassen

Sigrunn Eliassen is a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences (BIO) at the University of Bergen. Her research focuses on behavioral ecology, evolutionary biology, and education in biology. She is affiliated with the bioCEED Center of Excellence in Biology Education and the Theoretical Ecology Group. Her work integrates animal decision-making, hormonal regulation, and learning processes, with notable contributions to understanding extra-pair mating dynamics, student motivation in higher education, and ecological modeling.

Key research themes include the interdependence of animal behavior and wellbeing, hormonal control of phenotypic traits, and the application of self-determination theory in education. She has supervised doctoral students like Jacqueline Weidner (on fish growth and Pace-of-Life Syndromes) and master’s student Tonje Olsen Totland (on Atlantic puffin reproductive ecology).

Eliassen’s publications span topics from capercaillie behavior to computational models of animal welfare, reflecting her interdisciplinary approach. She actively contributes to educational initiatives, such as transitioning from traditional lectures to student-active learning strategies in biology courses.

Labs/Teams: bioCEED (biology education innovation), Theoretical Ecology Group (behavioral and evolutionary modeling).