BIOGRAPHY
Dr Peter Dijkstra is a faculty member in the Department of Biology at Central Michigan University (CMU), in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, his cichlid journey began with the iconic cichlids of Lake Victoria.
Peter earned his PhD from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, studying territorial behavior and speciation in Lake Victoria cichlids. The most exciting part of his doctoral work was the field experience: he spent several months in Tanzania, performing almost daily dives at Makobe Island to study the colorful Pundamilia cichlids up close in their natural habitat. But most of his work consisted of doing behavioral experiments in aquaria.
Following his time in the Netherlands, Peter conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Glasgow and the University of Texas at Austin, focusing on the fascinating inner workings of these fish. His research uses state-of-the-art tools to understand how social dynamics — like aggression and mating signals — actually shape a cichlid’s physiology and brain.
Today, his lab at CMU integrates behavior and neurobiology, and his work is currently supported by major grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). While much of his work happens in the lab, he is thrilled that a new NSF grant is sending him back to Lake Victoria next year to collect more of the gorgeous Pundamilia nyererei and its relatives. His lab is also studying animal welfare in cichlid fish, in collaboration with Dr Ron Oldfield of Case Western Reserve University.
When he’s not studying fish brains or planning his next experiments, Peter enjoys staying active by riding his bicycle and spending time with his wife and two children.
Link to his website: DIJKSTRA LAB – Social behavior and physiology