Primate Behavioral Ecology

Indirect genetic effects among neighbors promote cooperation and accelerate adaptation in a small-scale human society Social effects on fertility promote population growth and the evolution of flexible cooperation in a small-scale human society.

I'm very excited to share the central paper from my PhD out now in Science Advances. We investigated how social effects among neighbors shape the evolution of reproductive cooperation and the pace of adaptive population growth among the Indigenous Tsimane of Bolivia.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Excited to share that we have just been awarded a NERC Pushing the Frontiers grant to work on between-group cooperation in the Shark Bay dolphins. We will soon advertise a 3 year post-doc to join the team - drop me an email if you might be interested! Pls share widely 🙏🏻

A bit early to advertise, but why not... 👉 I will be recruiting a post-doc to work on gut microbiome variation in wild ungulates starting at some point in 2026. Strong expertise with shotgun data and host phenotype-microbiome associations would be very valuable. Email me to discuss!

Animal Behaviour - Bielefeld University With a team of over 50 people, the different research groups study animal behaviour within the framework of the four questions of Tinbergen, both in the lab and in the field. Current model systems include laboratory studies on zebra finches (

Bielefeld University seeks a postdoc for a 6-year scientific assistant position in Animal Behaviour, starting March 2026. Apply by Sept 10, 2025. More info: www.uni-bielefeld.de/fakultaeten/biologie/forschung/arbeitsgruppen/behaviour #job

Tenure-Track Assistant Professor in Biodiversity Research Using Genetics - Vacancy at Aarhus University Vacancy at Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics, Aarhus University

JOB ALERT 🚨 Tenure-track assistant professor in population genetics, comparative genomics and/or bioinformatics applied to biodiversity monitoring and conservation biology at Aarhus University, Denmark.

Aarhus is super nice y'all. Apply! 🧪 🌍 🧬 #AcademicSky #ScienceJobs

tech.au.dk/en/about-the...

The physiological cost of leadership in collective movements Individuals can gain substantial benefits from collective actions.1,2,3,4,5,6,7 However, collective behaviors introduce new challenges, like coordinat…

Out now: The physiological costs of leadership

We reveal that initiating movements—especially when attempting to initiate against a majority and when there is directional conflict—drives elevated heart rates in vulturine guineafowl

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

@currentbiology.bsky.social

two 4-year PhD positions in the Ape Behaviour & Ecology Group of the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology at the University of Zurich, and the Wild Minds Lab of the School of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of St Andrews, to study wild chimpanzees and bonobos. The PhD candidates will work within the Creative Ape Project. The overall goal of the project is to enhance our understanding of the evolution of creativity, and to shed light on whether humans are a uniquely 'creative ape'. To do so we will apply a comparative approach, quantifying the creative capacities of wild non-human apes to investigate the underlying drivers that shape creative expression across species. The project explores four interconnected topics: i) Making mavericks, ii) Funny guys and arty-types, iii) Lone ape geniuses, and iv) Creative ape economies. We employ a comprehensive approach that leverages long-term datasets, new field data, detailed manual video-coding, bespoke automated deep-learning models, and advanced modelling, to extract rich information on the ways in which apes solve problems in their daily lives. Excellent collaborative, independent working and time management skills are essential. Previous field experience (incl. behavioural data collection) is required, and experience working in remote places under difficult living conditions is highly recommended. The project will require strong data management and data analysis skills, and 12-18 months of field work split into 2-3 periods. Please submit your application in a single PDF to kathelijne.koops@iea.uzh.ch and clh42@st-andrews.ac.uk – by 4th of August 2025. Feel free to get in touch if you have any inquiries about the positions. Applications should include: 1) cover letter stating your motivation and how your expertise fits the project (max. 1 page), 2) Curriculum Vitae, 3) copy of the highest degree obtained, 4) names and contact details of two referees, and 5) reprints of 1-2 selected publications

A tiny chimpfant looks at the camera with surprise

📣 Join the K/Creative Ape Team 🤓 2 PhDs on Creativity in Wild Chimpanzees & Bonobos; w myself & the v awesome @kathelijnekoops.bsky.social

@snf-fns.ch Uni Zurich @uniofstandrews.bsky.social @efp2026.bsky.social @ips-primatenews.bsky.social @primatesocietygb.bsky.social @primbehavecol.bsky.social 🐵🧪

Socially integrated female chimpanzees have lower offspring mortality In humans and other social mammals, more socially connected females often have higher fitness. Yet evidence linking female sociality to offspring surv…

We have a new paper out in @cp-iscience.bsky.social reporting that more socially integrated female chimpanzees have lower offspring mortality 🧪 #evosky #primates #primatology #anthropology www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

We are hiring! Two PhD positions for interdisciplinary work on great ape communication and language evolution in a joint project with @marlenfroehlich.bsky.social & @elmanubohn.bsky.social.

🎯 evolutionary or probabilistic modeling
🗓️ deadline: Aug 13
🔗 tinyurl.com/2cnzwakj

The Local Organizing Commitee welcomes behavioral ecologists from across the world and of all career stages to enjoy a five-day meeting rich in top-notch science and ample networking opportunities in Turin (Italy), 20-24 July 2026.

Eukaryotic composition across seasons and social groups in the gut microbiota of wild baboons - Animal Microbiome Background Animals coexist with complex microbiota, including bacteria, viruses, and eukaryotes (e.g., fungi, protists, and helminths). While high-throughput sequencing is commonly used to characteriz...

📢New Publication Alert 📢
I’m proud to share a major milestone in my PhD journey. My first paper has officially been published:
“Eukaryotic composition across seasons and social groups in the gut microbiota of wild baboons”.
animalmicrobiome.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....

Assamese macaque females prioritize future over current offspring! Check out our paper (led by PhD researcher Shivani) showing reduced infant survival if mothers conceive early again!
tinyurl.com/4ka2ueyn

@primatenzentrum.bsky.social @uni-goettingen.de @primatecognition.bsky.social @dfg.de

Vacancy — PhD Position Gull Foraging Ecology in the North Sea - NO-REGRETS Project Are you passionate about animal movement ecology? Interested in studying gull foraging ecology at sea? Apply for this unique PhD opportunity at the Department of Theoretical and Computational Ecology ...

New PhD position in our group! Join us to study gull foraging ecology at sea using GPS and accelerometry data! You will be working here Amsterdam Movement Ecology group under supervision of @judyshamounb.bsky.social, @rooskentie.bsky.social and me. Apply here werkenbij.uva.nl/en/vacancies...

🐠💥2 year postdoc in fish sensory ecology!! 💥🐟
If you’re into animal colour, collective behaviour, predator-prey interactions, enjoy behavioural experiments and fieldwork, please apply! Based in Oxford with fieldwork in northwest Thailand (and elsewhere). Please repost! www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DNM294/p...

Group traits moderate the relationship between individual social traits and fitness in gorillas | PNAS Evidence across a broad range of disciplines has demonstrated how individuals’ social environments can impact their health, lifespan, reproduction,...

Thrilled to have the 1st project in my @snsf-ch.bsky.social Ambizione fellowship in @pnas.org this week. With Vic Martignac, @samellisq.bsky.social and @savinggorillas.bsky.social we asked what is a good social environment for a gorilla? And the answer was complicated... www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

A cryptic role for reciprocal helping in a cooperatively breeding bird - Nature A study of the cooperative breeding behaviour of superb starlings during 40 consecutive breeding seasons over 20 years reveals long-term reciprocal helping between both related and unrelated individua...

Our latest superb starling work in @nature.com. We observe long-term reciprocal helping relationships, and suggest reciprocity is an underappreciated mechanism promoting the stability of cooperatively breeding societies. Led by Alexis Earl and @gerrycarter.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Traditions of behaviour have been found to be passed on in numerous species of animals. Now, major #conservation agencies have begun to recognize that these discoveries could have big implications for conservation agendas. Explore the new #PhilTransB issue: royalsocietypublishing.org/toc/rstb/202...

We are hiring a chair/professor in our Ecology & Enviro Modelling group at @uniofstandrews.bsky.social. Scotland is lovely, and my colleagues are fantastic! Reach out if you are interested in joining the CREEM family ☺️

Working link this time 👇
www.vacancies.st-andrews.ac.uk/Vacancies/W/...

Spread the word: we're #hiring! We have an open #research fellowship position for #postdocs with their own research idea: It includes an own budget, a #PhD student position and the possibility to conduct independent research on animal #navigation and/or #magnetoreception 🧭🦤🦇🐟⚛️🧪👩‍🔬! sfb1372.de/jobs

We asked how behavioral diversity & agonistic behaviors relate to group size in wild capuchins. We analyzed >65,000 behavioral scans collected over 15 yrs on 214 capuchins (8 groups) & controlled for # inds sampled. We found behavioral richness, diversity & agonism was higher in larger groups.

Junior faculty job alert in Germany - Marine Evolutionary Genomics @geomarkiel.bsky.social / University of Kiel www.geomar.de/en/karriere/... Marine study system of your choice (no microbes, sorry…), excellent infrastructure and ship access, moderate teaching requirements, closing date 6 June

1. Home » 2. Section Groups » 3. Behavioural Biology » Graduate Meetings # Behavioural Biology ## Graduate Meeting Interested in hosting a graduate meeting yourself? Please do not hesitate to contact the section speakers. We will support you with the application for funds. ### **Joint Graduate Meeting: Animal Behaviour 2025** ### **of the Ethological Society and the Behavioural Biology Section of the German Zoological Society (DZG)** ### **08.10. – 10.10.2025** **Location** University of Leipzig We invite Bachelor and Master students, PhDs and early Post-docs to present and discuss their results with peers at the Joint Graduate Meeting of the Ethological Society and the Behavioural Biology Section of the German Zoological Society (DZG). The event is designed to provide a platform for undergraduate and graduate students to present their research, interact with peers, and engage in stimulating discussions about the latest trends and developments in the field of behavioural sciences. For presenting your research you have the opportunity to give a talk (15+5 min) or present a poster in an informal and friendly atmosphere. There will be**no registration fees.** The language of the conference is English. ******Invited speakers** Melanie Dammhahn (University of Münster) Thomas Bugnyar (University of Vienna) FURTHER INFORMATION WILL FOLLOW The organisers: Dr Ahana A. Fernandez, Dr Sabine Kraus, & Dr Christian Nawroth ### Short report: Graduate Meeting Behavioural Biology 2024 From 16.10-18.10 2024, the joint Graduate Meeting of the Behavioural Biology Section of the German Zoological Society (DGZ) and the Ethological Society (EthoGes) took place at the University of Rostock and the Research Institute of Farm Animal Biology (FBN) in Dummerstorf. The multi-day programme was diverse and multifaceted. The first plenary talk was given by Dr Katja Liebal (University of Leipzig) on The attitude of children towards other animals – a comparative cultural perspective. Dr Liebal’s lecture was integrated into the lecture series „Zoologische Vorweisungen“. This lecture is open to all students and also to the interested public and the audience was accordingly mixed. The lecture and discussion round was a complete success and once again put our Graduate Meeting in the spotlight. The next day, Pizza Chow (University of Chester) gave another plenary talk on problem-solving in wild squirrels, which was also enthusiastically received. Young scientists – from Master’s to postdoc level – gave 10 exciting presentations on a wide range of topics such as animal welfare, social behaviour, cognition and communication. In a poster session, four interesting posters were examined and discussed in detail. In a joint workshop, all participants, including the two plenary speakers, discussed questions relating to science and academic work. Questions submitted anonymously by all participants were collected in advance and divided thematically into discussion blocks. On the last day, posters and presentation awards were distributed. The presentation awards went to Eva Mardus (‘The numerical competence of the greater spear-nosed bat Phyllostomus hastatus’). The poster award went to Anustup Bandyopadhyay (‘The impact of alternative reproductive tactics on the cognitive abilities of male wild house mice’). The event was rounded off with a guided tour of the FBN on Friday afternoon and a tour of the Marine Science Centre (University of Rostock) on Saturday morning. Overall, the Graduate Meeting ‘Animal Behaviour’, with over 31 participants, was a successful event that offered young scientists a platform to present their work and themselves and to make important contacts. Thanks to grants from the DZG and the Ethologische Gesellschaft, the Graduate Meeting could be held without a participation fee. We, the speakers of Behavioural Biology, are already looking forward to the next Graduate Meeting, which is expected to take place in Leipzig in October 2025. Gruppenfoto des Graduate Meetigs Verhaltensbiologie 2024 (FBN Dummerstorf) Group picture of the Graduate Meeting Behavioural Biology 2024 (FBN Dummerstorf) ### **Joint Graduate Meeting: Animal Behaviour 2024** ### **of the Ethological Society and the Behavioural Biology Section of the German Zoological Society (DZG)** ### **16.10. – 18.10.2024** **Locations** University of Rostock Universitätsplatz 1, 18051 Rostock, Germany & Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN) Wilhelm-Stahl-Allee 2, 18196 Dummerstorf, Germany We invite Bachelor and Master students, PhDs and early Post-docs to present and discuss their results with peers at the Joint Graduate Meeting of the Ethological Society and the Behavioural Biology Section of the German Zoological Society (DZG). The event is designed to provide a platform for undergraduate and graduate students to present their research, interact with peers, and engage in stimulating discussions about the latest trends and developments in the field of behavioural sciences. For presenting your research you have the opportunity to give a talk (15+5 min) or present a poster in an informal and friendly atmosphere. There will be**no registration fees.** The language of the conference is English. **Important dates:** Deadline for abstract submission: **18th of August 2024**. Presenter notification: 16th of September 2024 Registration deadline (attendance without presentation): **30th of September 2024** ******Invited speakers** Dr Katja Liebal (University of Leipzig) _Die Einstellung von Kindern gegenüber anderen Tieren – eine kulturvergleichende Perspektive (“Children’s attitudes towards other animals – a cross-cultural developmental approach”)_ Dr Pizza Chow (University of Chester) _Problem-solving in wild squirrels_ ******Programme ** You can download the recent programme for the Graduate Meeting here Programme Programme Joint Graduate Meeting Animal Behaviour 2024 **Venue** You can find more information on the University’s main building here. On Thursday and Friday, the meeting will take place in the Conference Centre of the FBN in Dummerstorf (about 12 km outside of Rostock). **Travel** **Connections to Rostock:** You can reach Rostock by car, bus, train or ferry (https://www.rostock.de/en/transport/arrival-parking.html). **Connections from Rostock to Dummerstorf:** We will offer a shuttle transfer from Rostock city centre to Dummerstorf in the morning and the afternoon on Thursday and Friday. For individual travelling, there are frequent bus connections going from Rostock-Dummerstorf-Rostock and an S-Bahn station in the next village (Kavelsdorf) that will bring you to Rostock main station. ******Accommodation possibilities** Blue Doors Hostel B&B HOTEL Rostock-Hafen Motel ONE ******Caterin****g during the meeting & Social dinner ** **Social dinner (self-paid)** L’Osteria Café Marat **Catering during the meeting** Coffee, tea, beverages, and cookies will be provided for the small breaks. We have planned pizza and sandwiches for the lunch breaks. Please let us know if you have any allergies or intolerances when registering. Alternatively, there are supermarkets and a bistro near the institute. Don´t miss this opportunity and join us for a fun and stimulating meeting, get to know your peers and grow your network. We are looking forward to seeing you in Dummerstorf. If you have any questions don´t hesitate to contact us. The organizers: _Dr Ahana A. Fernandez, Dr Sabine Kraus, & Dr Christian Nawroth_ ### Brief report: Graduate Meeting Behavioural Biology 2023 The joint Graduate Meeting of the Behavioural Biology Section of the German Zoological Society (DGZ) and the Ethological Society (EthoGes) took place in Bielefeld from 08.11-10.11.2023. The three-day programme included two excellent plenary talks, outstanding oral presentations by students and an exciting poster session. The plenary talks were held by Dr Angela Stöger (Institute for Sound Research at the Austrian Academy of Sciences) on communication and cognition in elephants and by Dr Antonino Calapai (Primate Centre Göttingen) on a new adaptive approach to cognitive training in captive primates. Young scientists – Master to Postdoc level – gave 16 exciting talks on various topics such as animal welfare, social behaviour, cognition and behavioural physiology. During the poster session, five interesting posters were examined and discussed in detail. In a joint workshop, all participants, including the two plenary speakers, additionally discussed questions relating to science and academic life. The event was closed with a guided tour of the Department of Behavioural Biology at Bielefeld University. With over 30 participants in total, the Graduate Meeting of Behavioural Biology was a successful event. Thanks to grants from the DZG and EthoGes, the Graduate Meeting could be held without a participation fee. Two presentation prizes were awarded to: Elena Groneberg (“Lefty or righty? Investigating behavioural lateralisation in rats”) and Annkatrin Pahl (“Dwarf goats show altruistic behaviour in a novel food giving paradigm”). The poster prize went to Jana Deutsch (“Goats staring at video screens – behavioural responses of goats to images of familiar and unfamiliar conspecifics”). ##### Programme Detailed Programme Joint Graduate Meeting Behavioural Biology Section 2023 **Registration open for the joint Graduate Meeting of the Ethological Society and the Behavioural Biology** **Section of the DZG** You can register now! We are looking forward to your registration. _Here are some important key dates:_ Abstract deadline: **15th of September** Registration (attendance without presentation) deadline: **13th of October** **Joint Graduate Meeting of the Ethological Society and the Behavioural Biology** **Section of the DZG** This year’s graduate meeting will take place from **08.11. – 10.11.2023** in **Bielefeld**. We cordially invite Bachelor and Master students, PhD students and early postdocs to present their results in the form of a talk or poster in an informal and friendly atmosphere and to discuss with their peers. As guests, **Dr. Angela Stöger** (University of Vienna) & **Dr. Antonino Calapai** (German Primate Center Göttingen) will accompany this meeting. There will be _no_ registration fees. The conference language will be English. We will inform about the registration formalities and further details here soon. We are looking forward to seeing you! ### 2022 30.11. – 01.12.2022 Virtual Graduate Meeting of the Behavioural Biology Section of the DZG Keynote speaker: Mirjam Knörnschild Tobias Krause Anja Guenther ### 2019 23.10. – 25.10.2019 Joint Graduate Meeting of the Ethological Society and the Behavioural Biology Section of the DZG at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Plön Keynote speaker: Prof. Dr. Heiko Rödel Dr. Barbara Caspers Prof. Walter Arnold ### 2017 11.05. – 12.05.2017 Joint Graduate Meeting of the Ethological Society and the Behavioural Biology Section of the DZG at the Institute of Animal Welfare & Animal Husbandry Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut in Celle Keynote speaker: Marc Naguib Lars Schrader Wiebke Schuett ### 2016 03.-05.06.2016 Joint Graduate Meeting of the Ethological Society and the Behavioural Biology Section of the DZG at the Biological Station Gülpe (University of Potsdam) Keynote speaker: Julia Ostner Tim Caro * News * Information * Graduate Meetings * DZG Annual Meeting / Symposia * Email-Distribution-List * Section Speaker * Contact

The Joint Graduate Meeting: Animal Behaviour 2025 of the Ethological Society and the Behavioural Biology Section of the DZG will be in Leipzig in early October

https://www.dzg-ev.de/en/section-groups/behavioural-biology/graduate-meetings/

registration is free

Description of the Postdoc position

Description of the Postdoc position

Description of the Postdoc position

New Postdoc position!
🐵🐵🐵🐵
On the socioecology of cognition in primates, based in Paris @mnhn.fr @cnrs.fr, with field work
It has it all:
- the best science
- the best macaques
- the best beaches
- the best people
- the best office view #Eiffeltower

Join us!

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025 MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships enhance the creative and innovative potential of researchers holding a PhD and who wish to acquire new skills through advanced training, international, interdisciplinary ...

🧠🐒 Interested in comparative cognition, sociality and animal behaviour?

I am open to hosting MSCA postdoc fellowship applicants! marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu/calls/msca-p...

Details of the job offer for the PhD position Open PhD position on Biomechanics and Anatomy of the Ape and Hominin Organ of Hearing We invite applications for a PhD position at the Evolutionary Morphology and Palaeobiology of Vertebrates group (www.msanchezlab.net) in the Department of Paleontology of the University of Zurich. The PhD candidate will work in the context of an Ambizione Swiss National Science Foundation, a project led by Dr. Alessandro Urciuoli. The PhD candidate will explore the evolutionary trajectory of the organ of hearing in extant and extinct hominids from a morphological and functional perspective. The project will involve the anatomical description of the cochlear system in ape species, the adaptation of human-based computational simulations (finite element models) of the organ of hearing to that of extant apes, and the reconstruction of the hearing sensitivity to sound frequencies in fossil hominins. The candidate will rely on digital images of the cochlear membranous system of apes and humans obtained with the most advanced synchrotron-based computed tomography technology and housed at the Comparative Ear Bank digital repository.

To apply, please send a letter of motivation including information on previous scientific work and publications if available (maximum of 2 pages), a CV, and contact details of two referees. Please ensure that all those parts are combined into a single PDF-file. Together with an electronic copy of the Masters-thesis, please send your application to Alexandra Wegmann (alexandra.wegmann@uzh.ch). The deadline for applications is 20th of April 2025. Applications received after the deadline may be considered if the position is not yet filled. Applicants should be prepared to be interviewed in the first half of May 2025 and ideally start on September 1st of 2025 (starting date may be discussed). The planned duration for the PhD project is four years and compensation follows the standards set by the University of Zurich's salary guidelines. If you have further questions, do not hesitate to contact us (alessandro.urciuoli@pim.uzh.ch)

🚩#joboffer New PhD student position - Palaeontology Department at the University of Zurich (Switzerland).
the evolutionary trajectory of the organ of hearing in extant and extinct hominids from a morphological and functional perspective. uzhcareer.ch/de/jobs/deta...

Applications now open for UNIL Summer School on Modelling for Evo Bio (1–6 Sept 2025, Lausanne)!
Aimed at PhD students interested in formal approaches to evolutionary ecology questions like sexual selection, social & life-history evolution. Scholarships available.
Pls share! www.shorturl.at/znk5g

Computer vision for primate behavior analysis in the wild - Nature Methods In this Perspective, Vogg et al. discuss the progress and challenges of using computer vision approaches in the behavioral analysis of primates in their natural environment.

SFB Paper Alert!

That’s teamwork: 14 SFB members across nine projects put together a perspective paper on “Computer vision for primate behavior analysis in the wild”, which was published in @naturemethods.bsky.social

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Förderinitiative „Künstliche Intelligenz“

The DFG is funding independent research groups in AI (tinyurl.com/36f5m6kd). If you're interested in coming to Göttingen (Germany) by applying for one of these groups, we have an online event to inform you what the process is and how we could support you (tinyurl.com/yfpeambm). Check it out!

Interested in an Emmy Noether Group on “Methods in AI”?
Discover opportunities at the @thegoecampus.bsky.social!

Join the online info event by the Campus Institute Data Science to learn more & connect:
📅 April 23, 5 PM
🔗 www.uni-goettingen.de/en/696563.html

#AI #EmmyNoether #DataScience #Göttingen

Over the moon to finally share our new study in @science.org led by the amazing @jack-brand.bsky.social!

Pharmaceutical pollution at environmentally realistic levels alters behaviour and migration in Atlantic salmon, directly affecting survival

👉 science.org/doi/10.1126/...