Elisabeth Kalko is Staff Scientist at Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and an Experimental Ecologist at the University of Ulm in Germany. She obtained her Ph D at the University of Tübingen, Germany in 1991.

In her research, Kalko integrates physiology, behavior, ecology, and natural history of vertebrates to understand the ecological and evolutionary patterns of their diversity. In particular, she studies bat species (Chiroptera) in tropical forests, where more than 100 species may coexist, and where bats have evolved a wide range of foraging strategies and play indispensable roles such as dispersing seeds, pollinating flowers, and controlling insect populations. Kalko conducts field research in Panama, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Brazil, Ivory Coast and Europe.

Currently, her research is divided into four main areas: (1) case studies of bat species interacting with other organisms, (2) comparisons of behavior, physiology, and ecology of sympatric bat species, (3) comparative community studies, and (4) museum studies on taxonomy and systematics of bats.

Recent advances of observational technologies permit investigation of bat behavior that previously could not be addressed. Kalko employs a mix of classical techniques (i. e., mistnetting) and novel technologies (i.e., miniature transmitters; transponders; ultrasound recording and analysis, infra-red filming) and applies them to both experimental and observational studies with the goal to link physiological characteristics of bats (design of echolocation calls, wing shape) with behavior (foraging strategy, habitat use, flight, social interactions).