CV

Employment

2023-: Associate Professor,  Research School of Biology, Australian National University

2022-: SERI Fellow, Department of Evolutionary Biology & Environmental Studies,  University of Zurich 

2022: Senior Lecturer, Research School of Biology, Australian National University

2018:  Max Planck Research Group Leader Fellow, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Germany

2015:  Junior Research Fellow, St John's College, Dept. of Zoology, University of Oxford, UK

2014:  Postdoctoral Researcher, Edward Grey Institute, Dept. of Zoology, University of Oxford, UK

Education

2014:  PhD, University of Oxford & Australian National University 

2009:  Honours (first class), Australian National University

2003-08:  Bachelor of Science, Australian National University

2003-08:  Bachelor of Laws, Australian National University

Research Grants 

2022-27: European Research Council Grant Starter Grant (SERI funded)  "CULTURES ADAPT - Animal culture under change: a landscape-level analysis of socio-cognitive responses to human impact" 

2022-23: Cultural Evolution Society Transformation Fund "An innovation arms-race between humans and parrots?" 

2020-25:  Israeli Science Foundation “From conformity to diversity” -  External Collaborator

2019: Cultural Evolution Society "Public education module - Animal Cultures: Core discoveries and new horizons” -  Co-PI (1 of 4)

2019-25:  German DFG Cluster of Excellence for "Centre of Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour" - Co PI (1 of 25)

2019-22:  U.K. Natural Environment Research Council "Ecology of Behavioural Contagion in Natural Systems - Project Partner (1 of 4)

2018-19: National Geographic Exploration Grant " Extending the limits for animal culture: do wild parrots show cultural traits?"

2016-17:  Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour "Behavioural flexibility in novel environments"

2014-17:  U.K. Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Council “Social dynamics and social learning in parids” - Co-Investigator

Fellowships & Awards

2022: Christopher Barnard Award for Outstanding Contributions by a New Investigator, Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour 

2022: Max Planck Society Tenure-track Lise Meitner Fellowship (declined)

2020 : Nominated to Academia.net 

2019:  National Geographic Explorer

2018:  Max Planck Society Independent Research Group Leader Fellowship

2016:  Australian Museum Research Institute Visiting Fellowship

2015:  Jasper Loftus-Hills Young Investigator Award, American Society of Naturalists

2015:  Junior Research Fellowship, St John's College, University of Oxford

2010:  Australian Postgraduate Award 2010-13 

2009:  Australian National University Chancellor's Letter of Commendation

2008:  Anjeli Nathan Memorial Scholarship

Recent Plenaries, Keynotes & Public Talks

04/2025: British Ornithology Union Conference, Nottingham - plenary 

09/2024: Australian Science Festival "Science in the Pub" - public talk

09/2024: Southern Highlands Birdlife - public talk

04/2023: Italian League for Bird Protection - public talk

04/2023: People and Waste Conference, Oxford - plenary

09/2022: Hole-nesting bird conference at University of Oxford – plenary

09/2022: Annual Australian Society for the Study of Animal Behaviour (ASSAB) conference - Young Investigator Award Presentation

04/2022: Annual ASAB Easter conference - award presentation

03/2022: Royal Society and British Academy Joint Meeting - invited symposium speaker

10/2021: Sydney Ideas Symposium - webinar and public talk

07/2020: Evolution and Ecology Seminar Series - webinar and public talk

07/2019:  Australian Museum Research Institute Seminar Series - public talk

06/2019:  Early Social Learning Researchers Workshop - plenary

05/2019:  14th meeting for Ecology and Behaviour, Toulouse 

02/2019:  National Geographic London Explorers Festival - public talk

10/2018:  2nd International Meeting of Cultural Evolution Society - plenary

07/2018:  Canadian Society for Ecology & Evolution Meeting; Peter Yodzis Colliquium - invited symposium speaker

05/2018:  Conference on Collective Behaviour I, Trieste - invited speaker

10/2017:  150th Congress of the German Ornithological Society - plenary

06/2017:  Keele Workshop on Social Learning & Cultural Evolution - plenary

11/2016:  Sackler Colloquium for the National Academy of Sciences - invited speaker

10/2016:  Max Planck Research School Organismal Biology Symposium - student invited plenary

06/2016:  Evolution 2016 - ASN Young Investigator Award Presentation

Recent Departmental Seminars

10/2024: University of Neuchatel, Institute of Biology seminar series

03/2024:  University of Toulouse, Departmental seminar series

02/2024: Australian National University - Evolution of Cultural Diversity Inititative Seminar Series 

05/2023: University of Bielefeld - Department of Biology seminar series

09/2022: University of Zurich, Dept. of Evolutionary Biology & Environmental Studies seminar series 

08/2021: Potsdam University - webinar 

08/2020: Australian National University Seminar Series - webinar

06/2019:  University of Lausanne, Biology Department seminar series

10/2018:  New Mexico State University, Biology Department seminar series

09/2018:  Macquarie University, Department of Biological Sciences 

10/2017:  University of Zurich, Dept. of Evolutionary Biology & Environmental Studies seminar series 

10/2017:  University of Sheffield - Department of Behaviour seminar series

08/2017:  University of Exeter – Biosciences seminar series

11/2016:  Santa Fe Institute, invited talk

11/2016:  Arizona State University - Evolution of Social Complexity Colloquium 

Outreach & Service 

• Outreach and Advisory

2021: Co-founder of the Big City Birds Citizen Science Project - https://www.spotteron.com/bigcitybirds/info 

2019: Lecturer and co-creator of public education module " "Animal Cultures: Core discoveries and new horizons" 

2018-19:  Strategic Consultant - National Geographic Society 

2018-19:  Expert Advisor for the Conservation Implications of Animal Culture - United Nations Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species

• Service

2024: Organising committe, European Conference on Behavioural Biology at University of Zurich

2023-2024: Executive committee, Cultural Evolution Society

2020-22: Editor - Journal of Animal Behaviour

2021-2022: Member of Evolution Panel for grant funding agency - Finnish Academy of Sciences

20190-22: Board Spokesperson - International Max Planck Research School for Organismal Biology (graduate school)

2019-20: Organiser of the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour Department of Migration Seminar Series

08/2019:  Organising Committee - Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour Summer Meeting, Uni. of Konstanz

02/2019: Organiser - Max Planck/National Geographic Society Workshop on Communicating Culture

10/2018: Organising Committee - Cultural Evolution Society Conference, Arizona State University