Rate My Professor Niclas Kolm

Kolm's research examines brain evolution and the connections between variation in brain morphology and behavior across diverse taxa, including cichlids, pipefishes, seahorses, birds, dogs, pinnipeds, cetaceans, salmonids, and poeciliids. His approaches encompass phylogenetic comparative analyses and laboratory experiments, with facilities supporting over 4000 aquaria—primarily guppy selection lines—and dedicated rooms for assays on cognition, mate choice, and collective motion. He leads the Kolm research group, comprising 1-3 PhD students, 1-3 postdocs, and several master's and internship students. Notable publications include 'Artificial selection on relative brain size in the guppy reveals costs and benefits of evolving a larger brain' (Current Biology, 2013), 'Species diversity can drive speciation' (Nature, 2005), 'Female promiscuity promotes the evolution of faster sperm in cichlid fishes' (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2009), 'Brains and the city: big-brained passerine birds succeed in urban environments' (Biology Letters, 2011), and 'Breakdown of brain–body allometry and the encephalization of birds and mammals' (Nature Ecology & Evolution, 2018). His scholarship has accumulated over 6,000 citations. Kolm contributes to teaching, allocating about 15% of his time, and holds faculty roles as Vice Dean of the Biology Section, member of the Faculty Board and IT Committee, and Chair of the Information Committee since 2024.