He is a professor at Northern Arizona University where he studies referential communication, using Gunnison's prairie dogs (Cynomys gunnisoni) as a model species.
[7] After receiving his Ph.D., Slobodchikoff joined the biology faculty of Northern Arizona University, where he was a tenured professor[3] with a research budget of $1,000 per year.
[7][9] His wife, Anne Eustis Slobodchikoff, taught French and Russian at Northern Arizona University,[8] and they both retired in 2010.
[17] Through Slobodchikoff's research, it has been found that prairie dogs also have the ability to construct new words referring to novel objects or animals in their environment, which is called productivity.
Slobodchikoff and his research team are currently taking a look at breaking down the grammar of prairie dogs through computer technology to better understand the nature of their vocalizations in comparison to the phoneme system used by humans.
He selected prairie dogs as the main focus of his research because he believes they have a high degree of social behavior and are easy to study due to their close proximity.
[27] He is lead author, along with Bianca S. Perla and Jennifer L. Verdolin, of the book: Prairie Dogs: Communication and Community in an Animal Society, published by Harvard University Press.
[28] His book Learning the Language of Animals – Chasing Doctor Dolittle was published by St. Martin's Press in November 2012.
[29] Slobodchikoff's work with the prairie dog communication system has been featured in a number of video productions, magazines, radio interviews, and newspaper accounts.
His video appearances included: NBC Dateline, ABC World News with Peter Jennings, CNN, Country Canada, Quantum (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), Teirzeit (Belgian-German TV), BBC,[30] Turner Broadcasting, Brixen Productions (Discovery Channel), Evolve (History Channel).