Publications

(* corresponding author)

1. Ota N* & Gahr M (2022)

"Context–sensitive dance–vocal displays affect song patterns and partner responses in a socially monogamous songbird."

Ethology

2. Ota N* (2020)

"Tap dancers in the wild: field observations of multimodal courtship displays in socially monogamous songbirds"

The Science of Nature (Naturwissenschaften), 107:30

3. Ota N, Gahr M & Soma M* (2018)

"Couples showing off: audience promotes both male and female multimodal courtship display in a songbird." 

Science Advances, 4(10), eaat4779

4. Ota N, Gahr M & Soma M* (2017)

"Songbird tap dancing produces non-vocal sounds."

Bioacoustics, 26(2), 161–168

5. Ota N, Gahr M & Soma M* (2015)

"Tap dancing birds: The multimodal mutual courtship display of males and females in a socially monogamous songbird."

Scientific Reports, 5, 16614  *Top 100 Read Articles 2015

6. Ota N & Soma M* (2014) 

"Age‐dependent song changes in a closed‐ended vocal learner: elevation of song performance after song crystallization." 

Journal of Avian Biology, 45(6), 566–573

Education

[2017]

PhD (Life Science), Hokkaido University

"Complex sexual signals in mutual courtship display of blue waxbills"

[2014]

MSc (Life Science), Hokkaido University

"Male song quality and female preference in Java sparrows"

[2012]

BSc (Biology), Hokkaido University

"Song learning and its social factors in male Java sparrows"

Work experiences

[2019-present]

• Postdoc researcher at Max Planck Institute for Ornithology

[2017-2019]

• JSPS overseas research fellow (at Max Planck Institute for Ornithology)

[2017]

• Postdoc researcher at Hokkaido University

[2012-2016]

• Teaching Assistant at Hokkaido University

[2011-2012]

• Mentor for a high school student on research training program, Support Office for Female Researchers in Hokkaido University

Grants

[2018]

• Early Career Grant, National Geographic Society, US (10,000 USD, acceptance rate not disclosed)

• Research Grant , Kawai Foundation for Sound Technology & Music (500,000 JPY, acceptance rate:24.3%)

[2017-2019]

• Postdoctoral Fellowships for Research Abroad, JSPS, Japan (12,214,400 JPY, acceptance rate:19.1%)

[2015-2017]

• Research Fellowship for Young Scientist, JSPS, Japan (6,900,000 JPY, acceptance rate: 23.3%)

[2014]

• Stipend for the Development of Future Researchers, Hokkaido University, Japan (200,000 JPY)

Awards

[2019]

• Nakamura-Tsukasa Prize  for an outstanding publication by a young researcher, The Ornithological Society of Japan, Japan

[2018]

• Best Poster Award, Biotremology 2018, Italy

[2017]

• Ohtsuka Memorial Award for women with an excellent dissertation in Hokkaido University, Japan

[2015]

• Most Outstanding Presentation Award, The Society for Bioacoustics, Japan

• Best Oral Presentation by a Junior Researcher, XXV International Bioacoustics Conference, Germany

[2014]

• Excellent Presentation Award for Graduate Research, Hokkaido University

[2012]

• Best Presentation Award, The Zoological Society of Japan

• Best Presentation Award for Undergraduate Research, Hokkaido University Museum

Presentations

1. Ota N & Manfred Gahr (2023, oral)

" Vibrational courtship communication in socially monogamous songbirds"

The XXVIII International Bioacoustics Congress , Sapporo, Japan

2. Ota N & Manfred Gahr (2022, oral)

" Birds feel the vibes: the role of vibrations in songbird courtship communication"

Biotremology 2022, Piran, Slovenia (and online)

3. Ota N & Masayo Soma (2021, oral)

"Evolution of dancing communication in songbirds"

Symposium on "The evolution of rhythm from neutrons to ecology",

CogSci 2021, Cognitive Science Society, Vienna, Austria (and online)

*Disciplinary Diversity & Integration Award in Cognitive Science

4. Ota N (2021, twitter)

"Why do songbirds communicate with dancing?"

Animal Behaviour Twitter Conference 2021

Animal Behavior Society, Online

5. Ota N & Gahr M (2019, poster) 

" Tap-dancing improves song performance and stereotypy: Song-dance interactions in a socially monogamous songbird"

XXVII International Bioacoustics Congress, Brighton, UK

6. Ota N & Gahr M (2019, poster) 

"Tap dancers in the wild: Field observations of multimodal courtship display in cordon-bleus (Uraeginthus spp.)"

Behaviour 2019, Chicago, US

7. Ota N & Gahr M (2018, poster) *Best poster award

"Do tap-dancing birds use vibrational signals?: Mutual multimodal courtship display in a socially monogamous songbird"

Biotremology 2018, Riva del Garda, Italy

8. Ota N, Gahr M & Soma M  (2018, oral) 

"Are the neural mechanisms shared between singing and dancing?: the role of the song control system in a courtship dance"

Symposium on "Multiple functions of song control system of songbirds", The 27th International Ornithological Congress, Vancouver, Canada

9. Ota N, Gahr M & Soma M (2017, oral)

 "Audience promotes complex acoustic signals in the courtship of a songbird"

Symposium on Dynamic signalling in a dynamic world, XXVI International Bioacoustics Conference, Haridwar, India

10. Ota N, Gahr M & Soma M (2016, oral)

"Audience promotes courtship dancing exchanged between sexes of a songbird"

Selected talk, The 16th congress of the International Society of Behavioral Ecology, Exeter, UK

11. Ota N, Gahr M & Soma M (2015, oral)  *Best presentation award

"Tap dancing birds: mutual multimodal courtship display of males and females in a socially monogamous songbird"

Selected talk, XXV International Bioacoustics Conference, Murnau, Germany

12. Ota N & Soma M  (2014, poster)

"Female preference for syntactically complex trill in the Java sparrow song"

The 26th International Ornithological Congress, Tokyo, Japan

13. Ota N & Soma M (2013, poster)

"Relationship between song traits and long-term life history in the Java sparrow"

The 33rd International Ethological Conference, Newcastle, England

Others (works, experiences, qualifications etc.)

[2020]

• a YouTube video production about one of the editors's choice articles in the Journal of Ethology (www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQR_c_R-xYs&t=60s )

[2019]

• Completion of Sciencetelling bootcamp training by National Geographic Society (Munich, Germany)

• Completion of all five Sciencetelling bootcamp courses by National Geographic Society (Online)

[2015]

• PhD summer course, Acoustic communication, University of Southern Denmark

[2014]

• Obtained a curator’s certificate in Japan

[2013-2015]

• Hokkaido University Open Course Ware, Part-time job for recording/editing of university lectures

[2012-2013]

• Science Communicator training program by Communication in Science & Technology Education & Research Program (CoSTEP), Hokkaido University