About me
I am a game theorist studying the evolution of social behaviour.
My research is focused on understanding how the interplay of inequality and other mechanisms (such as information, decision-making policies, etc) affects social behaviour. I am also interested in understanding how to make better environmental decisions by using insights from behavioural and evolutionary sciences.
Currently, I am a Lecturer in Mathematical Modelling at Queensland University of Technology, a member of the Applied Mathematical Ecology Group (AMEG) and the Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future (SAEF) initiative.
Previously, I was a research fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse in France, a Marie-Sklodowska-Curie fellow at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria, and a visiting researcher at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Vienna in the group for Behavioral Economics "Insight Austria". I obtained my PhD from the School of Mathematics and Physics at the University of Queensland in April 2019.
Email: maria.kleshnina [at] qut.edu.au
News and updates
October, 2024: I am extremely proud and delighted to announce that I am looking for a PhD student. Interested in game theory, ecology and evolution? Want to spend three years in beautiful Australia? Contact me about this fully funded scholarship!
June, 2024: I started a new position as a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in the School of Mathematical Sciences at QUT! SMS is a fantastic and vibrant environment, and I am extremely proud to be part of it. Looking forward to what the next chapter will bring!
February, 2024: I am super excited to let you know that our article on the efficiency and resilience of cooperation has just been published in PNAS!
January, 2024: Super excited to see the special issue devoted to the 50th anniversary of evolutionary game theory finally published! We thank all authors and reviewers who made this achievement possible!
November, 2023: Save the date! Together with Greg Kubitz and Lionel Page, we are organising the next edition of the Learning Evolution and Games (LEG) on 8-9 July 2024 at Queensland University of Technology (Brisbane, Australia). Abstract submissions are open now!
October, 2023: Until the end of the year, I will be visiting Behavioural and Economic Science Cluster at the University of Queensland working with Lionel Page.
July, 2023: I am super excited to announce that our paper on The effect of environemntal information on evolution of cooperation in stochastic games has now been published in Nature Communications. Let me know what you think about it!
February, 2023: I am very happy to announce that I was invited to give a lecture at the Winter School on the Evolutionary Foundations of Economic Behaviour organised by the Queensland University of Technology and Behavioural and Economic Science Cluster at the University of Queensland in July 2023. Looking forward to this event!
February, 2023: For my Russian-speaking colleagues: the episode of the Observer Effect podcast has now gone live! It was so cool to talk to the curious hosts about some parts of what the evolutionary research is about. I really appreciate the opportunity to communicate my research to younger listeners.
October, 2022: In the academic year 2022-23, together with Peter Bayer, I am a provisional co-leader of the IAST Social Evolution Research Team.
August, 2022: next year is the 50th anniversary of evolutionary game theory. Christian Hilbe, Katerina Stankova and I are editing a special issue for the journal of Dynamic Games and Applications devoted to this important milestone. Check it out, we are looking forward to submissions!
July, 2022: our paper on "The effect of environmental information on evolution of cooperation in stochastic games" together with Christian Hilbe, Stepan Simsa, Krishnendu Chatterjee and Martin Nowak received Thomas Vincent Best Paper Award from the International Society on Dynamic Games and Applications.
May, 2022: our project on "Understanding the formation and success of groups through game theory and network science" together with Peter Bayer, Marion Hoffman, and Marijn Keijzer has been awarded an IAST Miltidisciplinary Grant.