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Sarah Marshall-Pescini, PhD, Priv-Doz
Sarah Marshall-Pescini, PhD, Priv-Doz
I am a Senior Scientist in the DomLab of the Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, at the Vetmed University of Vienna.
CV in brief
CV in brief
Qualifications and Education
2022 Italian State Habilitation for Full Professor, in Comparative Psychology and Zoology.
2018 Habilitation at University of Veterinary Medicine of Vienna. Title: The importance of socio-ecology in wolf-dog behavioural and cognitive differences
2017 Italian State Habilitation for Associate Professor, in Comparative Psychology and Zoology.
2005-2008 Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Psychobiology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
1999-2003 Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Psychology, University of St. Andrews, Scotland, U.K.
1994-1998 Master of Arts (MA), Psychology University of St. Andrews, Scotland, U.K.
Positions
2018-present Senior Scientist Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine of Vienna.
2019- present Member of the Doctoral School in Neuroscience of the University of Parma (Italy).
2022-2024 Visiting Professor, University of Parma (Italy) Teaching position in the Master's Degree in the Ecology and Ethology of Nature Conservation.
2020-2021 Visiting Professor, University of Sassari (Italy). Teaching position in Master Degree in Wildlife Management, and Conservation.
2013-2017 Senior Post-doctoral scientist, Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna.
2010-2013. Post-doctoral scientist, University of Milan, Biomedical Sciences and Technology Department. Co-founder of a Dog Cognition Lab of the University of Milan.
Pet dogs
Pet dogs
After studying the cognition of different species of primates for my MA & PhD I became curious about a species much closer to us in our day-to-day lives... which however had at that time been studied a lot less! So starting in 2008 together with Prof. Prato-Previde I set up a small pet dog lab at Milan University (Canis Sapiens Lab fb- web). Most of my work with pet dogs is now done at the Clever Dog Lab (fb- web) in Vienna.
Wolf-Dog comparison
Wolf-Dog comparison
To understand how domestication changed dogs' social behaviour and cognition since 2013 I joined the team at the Wolf Science Centre where dogs and wolves are intensely socialized with humans and live in conspecific packs. I have since become Senior Scientist at the DomLab of the Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology of Veterinary Medicine University of Vienna, working closely with Lab leader Assoc. Prof. Friederike Range, on many aspects relating to dog domestication.
by Roberta Massimei
Free-ranging dogs
Free-ranging dogs
At least 70% of the world dog population lives alongside humans, but as free-roaming, free-breeding animals, making their own choices and with little human control. Little is known about their lives. Since 2016 thanks to Stray Dogs International (fb) and together with colleagues at the DomLab we set up a field-site in Morocco to investigate the behaviour and cognitive abilities of free-ranging dogs (Morocco Free-ranging dog project- fb- IG). We have a number of projects exploring different aspects of their lives (see below)
Italian Wild Wolves
Italian Wild Wolves
Wolves are one of the most difficult species to observe in the wild... they are shy, fast, and especially in Europe very very secretive... But since 2016 together with Martina Lazzaroni and with the extraordinary help of Massimo Colombari, we have been able to observe the social behaviour of wild wolf litter mates in the Italian Appenines and starting in 2020 together with Marco Apollonio and Massimo Scandura (from Sassari University), we are also trying to understand if wolves living closer to humans behave differently from wolves living in wilder areas (see projects below).
by Giulia Cimarelli
A nose for wolf research
A nose for wolf research
with the arrival of my English Working Cocker Spaniel Tabu' I have started a new adventure! Research has shown that scat sample collection for conservation and reasearch is much more efficient with the aid of a good nose... so its back to school for us! In collaboration with Roberta Bottaro (K9tech) as well as Tobias Gustavsson and Boki Damis (Gritty Canines), Tabu' and I are training to become a 'conservation canine unit'.
I am also happy to be collaborating with Giulia Pedretti of Parma University and Nathan Hall of the Canine Olfaction Lab on a project looking at how dogs' subtle body language may change during search development.
together with Friederike Range (head of our DomLab), we took on the challenge to review all studies comparing wolves and dogs... it took two years to write, a lot of prosecco, a lot of prosciutto and a lot of support from collegues, families, and friends. THANKS!
FWF (2022-2025): Social learning strategies in free-ranging dogs
FWF (2022-2025): Social learning strategies in free-ranging dogs
together with Giulia Cimarelli and Friederike Range (head of our DomLab), we explore the social learning abilities and what affects these in "our" free-ranging dog population in Morocco.
FWF (2022-2026): Do human attitudes towards wolves and dogs actually reflect the human related temperament traits of the two species?
FWF (2022-2026): Do human attitudes towards wolves and dogs actually reflect the human related temperament traits of the two species?
together with Friederike Range (head of our DomLab) and Claus Lamm (from the Unviersity of Vienna, we use methods in psychology to explore the explicit and implicit attitudes of people towards wolves and dogs. We also investigate wolves' and dogs' 'attitudes' to different humans at the Wolf Science Centre... a challenging and exciting new project!
by Giulia Cimarelli
FWF (2021-2025): The Domestication Syndrome in free-ranging domestic dogs
FWF (2021-2025): The Domestication Syndrome in free-ranging domestic dogs
together with Malgorzata Pilot (Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Science) and Friederike Range (head of our DomLab), we will be exploring the morphological, hormonal and behavioural correlates of the 'Domestication Syndrome' as well as their genetic basis and fitness benefit in "our" free-ranging dogs in Morocco.
WWTF (2021-2025): Urban wolves
WWTF (2021-2025): Urban wolves
together with Marco Apollonio & geneticist Massimo Scandura (University of Sassari) as well as Friederike Range (head of our DomLab), Martina Lazzaroni, and a fantastic interdisciplinary team of researchers , we will be exploring if wolves living closer to humans differ in their behavioural, endocrinological and genetic profile compared to wolves living in more remote areas.
by Luca Mattioli
by Felicity Robinson, Wolf Science Centre, Scientific Reports
FWF (2020-2024): Domestication and Physical Cognition
FWF (2020-2024): Domestication and Physical Cognition
with Friederike Range (head of our DomLab) and Sabine Tebbich (Cogbio, University of Vienna), we are exploring our Wolf Science Centre dogs' and wolves' understanding of physical cognition. Has domestication affected their inferential reasoning abilities? and what about their causal understanding or understanding of 'physical laws'?
Free-ranging dog studies around the world...
Free-ranging dog studies around the world...
Happy to contribute to a lovely book on the fascinating lives of free-ranging dogs... (buy here for now only in German!)
WWTF (2016-2020): Domestication and Oxytocin Project
WWTF (2016-2020): Domestication and Oxytocin Project
with Friederike Range (head of our DomLab), Tobias Deschner (Endocrinology Lab of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology) and a great team of postdocs and PhDs, we have been exploring the role of oxytocin in dog domestication and in particular how this hormone may mediate our wolves' and dogs' (Wolf Science Centre) bonding processes with both conspecifics and humans (more about the project here).
proud to be supporting our first researcher in the field, studying the cognitivie abilities of the free-ranging dogs in Morocco (more about Morocco Free-ranging dog project- fb)
FWF (2012-2015) to Dr Simona Cafazzo conflict behaviour in wolves and dogs
FWF (2012-2015) to Dr Simona Cafazzo conflict behaviour in wolves and dogs
excited to work with Simona Cafazzo and Martina Lazzaroni on conflict mangament in wolves and dogs at the Wolf Science Centre and with an exciting new pack of 19 Arctic wolves in the Czech Republic!
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