Dr. Rittschof is interested in the evolutionary consequences and mechanistic underpinnings of behavioral plasticity, particularly in the context of social interactions. She has ddressed this topic with studies of alternative reproductive strategies and tactics in the spider Nephila clavipes, and more recently in the context of socially-induced variation in aggression in the honey bee (see a honey bee brain above). Dr. Rittschof's research combines perspectives from behavioral ecology, behavioral genomics, and neuroscience