Research Bio

Damian Octavio Elias is a behavioral ecologist who investigates the mechanisms that guide behavior and how these mechanisms relate to behavioral adaptation and species evolution. Using a variety of animal systems he investigates how animals produce and process complex stimuli and the interplay between physics, behavior, and evolution. Elias’s research has broadened the understanding of multimodal communication and the evolutionary ecology of communication systems.

He is a Professor of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at UC Berkeley and the William M. and Esther G. Schlinger Endowed Chair in Systematic Entomology. Elias’s work has appeared in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Current Biology, and Science and has been featured in scientific media for its insights into animal behavior and bioacoustics. He has received NSF funding and recognition from the Animal Behavior Society for innovative research on vibrational ecology. Beyond his publications, Elias mentors graduate students and postdocs in interdisciplinary projects spanning ecology, physics, and neuroscience.

His expertise spans animal communication, biomechanics, and evolutionary biology.

Research Expertise and Interest

animal behavior, behavioral ecology, evolutionary ecology, animal communication, bioacoustics, neuroethology, sensory systems