Albert Kao
Biography
I am fascinated by collective behavior across biology, from slime molds to fish schools to even human groups. By joining forces, social animals can improve their chances of survival. But there are also costs, like increased competition for resources. How selfish animals evolve to be social remains an important unsolved question. My lab tackles this question using mathematical models, lab experiments, and fieldwork, which, together, can lead to a deeper understanding of biological collectives.
Area of Expertise
Animal behavior, collective behavior, evolution of sociality, biophysics, mathematical modeling
Degrees
PhD, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University (2015)
AB, Physics, Harvard College (2007)
Professional Publications & Contributions
Kao AB, Banerjee SC, Francisco FA, Berdahl AM. (2024) Timing decisions as the next frontier for collective intelligence. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 39:P904-912.
Winklmayr C, Kao AB, Bak-Coleman JB, Romanczuk P. (2023) Collective decision strategies in the presence of spatio-temporal correlations. Collective Intelligence, 2:26339137221148675.
Kao AB, et al. (2023) Opposing Responses to Scarcity Emerge from Functionally Unique Sociality Drivers. The American Naturalist, 202:302-321.
Galesic M., et al. (2023). Beyond collective intelligence: collective adaptation. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 20:20220736.