Having earned a MSc degree in Evolutionary Biology at the 木瓜福利影视 of Groningen, I am interested in applying theoretical methods to study the evolution of social behavior and culture in interaction with the biophysical environment. Interdisciplinarity is an important theme in my research.
My research focuses on explaining the geographically uneven distribution of languages. Languages show radically different geographical patterns across the world, with high diversity areas often clustering together, but it is poorly understood what mechanisms shape these patterns. I try to gain a better understanding on how the biophysical environment affects social processes and consequently shapes linguistic diversity. I am using agent-based modelling as a tool to understand and quantify the effects of biophysical and sociocultural factors on patterns of linguistic diversity. The model simulates ethno-linguistic groups, the agents, which can interact with each other and their biophysical environment across space and time. My focus is on explaining patterns of linguistic diversity in South America, an area of extremely high linguistic diversity, from first human arrival until European colonization.