Kirkpatrick’s research focuses on fundamental questions in theoretical evolutionary genetics. He has studied the evolution of female mating preferences from a population genetic perspective and, in addition to Russell Lande, formally modeled Ronald Fisher’s runaway concept of arbitrary intersexual selection and its role in speciation.[4][5][6] Kirkpatrick has worked on questions in quantitative genetics, speciation, and chromosome evolution, focusing on the evolution of rearrangements such as inversions and fusions.[7] He has also been actively involved in research on sex chromosome evolution and sex determination.[8]
Kirkpatrick, M.; Ravigné, V. (1997). "Speciation by natural and sexual selection: models and experiments". The American Naturalist. 159 (S3): S22–S35. doi:10.1086/338370. PMID18707367. S2CID16516804.