Research

My research focuses on several aspects of animal cognition and behaviour. I have a keen interest in understanding the proximate mechanisms underlying cooperation and the factors that might influence social relationships within and across species (e.g. human-animal relationship). Although I have worked with non-human primates in the past conducting field studies in Africa, in 2007, I started to shift my interests towards dogs and together with Ludwig Huber and Zsófia Virányi, we established the Clever Dog Lab (www.cleverdoglab.at). However, when investigating dogs, one important question that always comes up is whether dogs’ cognitive abilities are due to the effect of domestication. To explore this question, together with Zsófia Virányi and Kurt Kotrschal, I have established the Wolf Science Center, where wolves and dogs are raised and kept under similar conditions allowing us to study the effect of domestication on dogs’ cognition and behaviour without the confounding factor of different experiences. In recent years, fieldwork has caught up again and we have started to expand our research to free-ranging populations of wolves and dogs to understand how their socio-ecology influences their skills.

Current projects

• 2021-2024: Principal-investigator (with Sabine Tebbich & Sarah Marshall-Pescini)(FWF): Proximate mechanisms underlying problem solving abilities in dogs and wolves
• 2017-2025: Doctoral College “CogCom2: Cognition and Communication 2” (FWF): The role of the partner during cooperation
• 2022-2025: Principal-investigator (with Claus Lamm & Sarah Marshall-Pescini) (FWF): Do human attitudes towards wolves and dogs reflect the human-related temperament traits of the two species?
• 2024-2028: Principal-investigator (Tiago Monteiro) (FWF):  Elementary cognitive processes in dogs
• 2022-2026: Co-Investigator (PI: Giulia Cimarelli) (FWF): Social learning in free- ranging dogs
• 2023-2027: Co-Investigator (PI: Andreas Berghänel) (FWF): Social ecology of free- ranging dogs
• 2020-2024: Joint International Project: Co-investigator (PI: Sarah Marshall-Pescini;  Malgorzata Pilot, Polish Academy of Science)(FWF I-5052): Testing the Domestication Syndrome hypothesis in free-ranging domestic dogs.
• 2020-2024: Co-Investigator (PI: Sarah Marshall-Pescini,  Marco Apollonio, University of Sassari)( WWTF): Urbanization of a top predator: are wolves and humans adapting to life in close proximity?

Completed projects

• Understanding the Proximate Mechanisms of Canine Cooperation. ERC Starting grant (EU)
• Can nutrition reduce cognitive aging in pet dogs. Funded by a company.
• 2018-2021: Principal-investigator (with Sarah Brosnan, USA) Animals’ understanding of the partner’s role in cooperation. Funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF)

Teaching

I am teaching a Journal Club at the Wolf Science Center and classes in ‘Animal Behaviour’, ‘Canine Evolution, Behavior and Cognition’ and a practical methods class ‘Into Science’ in the framework of the IMHAI. Moreover, I am supervising bachelor, master and PhD students.

I also give regular seminars for dog trainers and help organize the educational programs at the Wolf Science Center.

Lehre

Curriculum Vitae

Education

Positions

Prizes and awards

• Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contribution to Psychology 2012 in the area of animal learning and behavior, comparative. American Psychological Association (APA)
• Förderpreis der Stadt Wien 2010 (Research award of the City of Vienna)
• Young Investigator Award 2010 of the University of Vienna
• Nominated as a ‘Rising star 2009’ of the Association for Psychological Science (APS);
• Focus of Excellence 2008 of the University of Vienna

Publikationen

Publications