Our work on social stress, brain, and behavior in fish is currently supported by NSF and NIH. Below is a list of active and recent external funding.
2025-2030
NSF - “Collaborative Research: Male-male competition and speciation: behavioral and neuromolecular mechanisms underlying aggression biases in cichlids”.
Role: Principal Investigator (Dijkstra (lead), Hans Hofmann, Ryan Wong).
Total award: $1,799,455 | CMU share: $890,730 (Media highlight)
2023-2026
NIH R15 (NIGMS) - “Social regulation of oxidative stress in the brain”
Role: Principal Investigator (PI: Peter Dijkstra, co-I: Ryan Wong)
Total award: $443,315 (Media highlight)
2023-2026
AALAS Grants for Laboratory Animal Science (GLAS) - “Impact of environmental enrichment on aggression and welfare in cichlid fish”
Role: Principal Investigator (PI: Peter Dijkstra, co-I: Jon Kelty)
Total award: $47,974 (Media highlight)
2022-2025
NIH INBRE (University of Nebraska) - “Cellular signaling dynamics of neuroendocrine and oxidative stress between alternative stress resilience phenotypes”
Role: Collaborator (PI: Ryan Wong, University of Nebraska at Omaha)
Total award: $155,925 | CMU share: $15,000
Our lab’s research has received national and international media attention, including features in The New York Times, National Geographic, and Smithsonian Magazine. Media interest spans scientific, popular, and tabloid press, as well as radio interviews and blogs.
2024
Social stress and brain research (Dijkstra et al. 2024) received widespread international coverage, including:
2022
Filial cannibalism study (Sawecki & Dijkstra 2022) was featured in:
2018
Judo and color perception study (Dijkstra et al. 2018) received coverage in:
JudoContact (Belgium)
2014
Austrian newspaper Die Presse featured our earlier judo-color research (Dijkstra & Preenen 2008) in, ‘Die Kraft der Farbe Blau’ (Oct 5).
2011
Cross-cultural dating preferences study (Dijkstra et al. 2011) was featured in:
Dutch media: Trouw, Leidsch Dagblad, Intermediair, Metro
Indonesian outlets: Kompas, Republika
Radio interview with Wereldomroep (Indonesia).
2008
Judo and color research (Dijkstra & Preenen 2008) sparked hundreds of news stories, including a feature in The New York Times.
Some other favorites:
Mentoring relationship (in the Morning Sun and CMU website).
Coverage social stress study in the Netherlands (Leefbewust.nl) and Scientias.nl).
Most recent article about mouthbrooding in cichlid fish in The Scientist.