Here, I would like to tell you about three of my current projects and interests. Most of my research effort is devoted, of course, towards doing original research. One current project, supported by the National Science Foundation, examines the ecology and evolution of what can be informally called animal personalities. Individual personalities can be defined scientifically by measuring correlations among related behaviors in different contexts. A bold, aggressive person is one who tends to behave more boldly than others in a range of different situations, while a shy person is one who is shy in various situations.
Humans clearly have individual personalities.
Most dog and cat owners are quite certain that their pets have personalities. Interestingly, recent work shows that other animals birds, fish, even insects have personalities as defined by behavioral syndromes that carry across situations. From an evolutionary and ecological view, the most interesting thing about behavioral syndromes is the likelihood that they can result in inappropriate, even stupid behavior in some contexts. Conversely, shy, fearful individuals might often do poorly in contexts where bold, aggressive initiatives are favored. I am also actively involved in synthesizing and publicizing the Big Picture on the interface between ecological science and policy.