Eva Kisdi uses adaptive dynamics in order to understand the underlying causes of species diversity. She aims to underpin the ecological conditions under which evolutionary branching will emerge, and eventually, lead to the creation of species due to reproductive isolation. She has been contributing to the development of the general theory of adaptive dynamics as well as to its many applications on the evolution of dispersal, local adaptation, evolutionary arms races, evolution in predator-prey systems, and the evolution of pathogens.