We are deeply honoured to welcome Dr. Peter Dijkstra as a Keynote Speaker at the 4th FAR4ViBE Conference 2026. Dr. Dijkstra is a distinguished researcher and Professor of Biology in the Department of Biology at Central Michigan University (USA), where he leads a pioneering research lab dedicated to social behavior, physiology, and evolutionary biology.

Dr. Dijkstra's research addresses some of the most fundamental questions in behavioral biology: how the social environment influences physiological function, brain health, and evolutionary outcomes. Using African cichlid fishes—particularly the highly social and territorial species Astatotilapia burtoni—his lab integrates behavioral experiments with state-of-the-art assays for mitochondrial performance, oxidative stress, gene expression, and endocrine dynamics.

His ground-breaking work on social stress has revealed critical links between social hierarchy and brain cellular health, showing how competitive pressure impacts brain oxidative stress. This research holds profound cross-disciplinary significance, helping bridge the gap between ecological resilience in aquatic ecosystems and biomedical understanding of psychosocial stress on health and well-being.

Additionally, Dr. Dijkstra's lab explores phenotypic plasticity, sexual selection, and speciation. His studies on color polymorphism and mate competition have shed light on the mechanisms driving the rapid evolutionary diversification of cichlid fishes, contributing significantly to our understanding of aquatic biodiversity.