Manuel Sapage, PhD student 2017-2023

I study mate-choice copying (MCC), both empirically and theoretically. MCC is a mechanism of non-independent mate-choice where individuals change their mate preferences favouring similar mates to the ones they saw being chosen by conspecifics. My general goal is to predict the impact of MCC in sexual selection and evolution.

Manuel defended his PhD thesis on April 20, 2023. Congratulations Manuel! 

Rúben Correia, MSs student 2021-present

I am a Biochemist and I study associative learning in fruit flies, namely the social learning performance of mutant flies with the radish gene that impairs a type of long-term memory. I use the classic aversive olfactory conditioning paradigm.

Rúben defended his MSc thesis on October 25, 2022. Congratulations Rúben! 

Pedro Rego, MSs student 2021-present

I am a Biologist and I study differences in brain activation patterns between artificially selected populations in zebrafish (Danio rerio). My goal is to describe differences in the molecular identity of functional populations of neurons between artificially selected populations for sociality.

Rafael Infantes, MSc student 2021-present

I study associative learning in zebrafish with artificially selected populations. My goal is to determine whether selection for sociality has driven the evolution of enhanced cognition. My background is in Psychology, but I am passionate about animal behaviour.

Rafael defended his MSc thesis on December 13, 2022. Congratulations Rafael! 

Antonieta Charrua, PhD student 2013-2021

I studied animal play in primates. My goal was to contribute, with a comprehensive approach, for a greater knowledge about how this behaviour has evolved in different species, how does it change across an individual's life, how can it be distinguished from other behaviours, and how adaptive it is at the population and individual level. I followed the line of reasoning proposed by Bekoff, Burghardt, Spinka and others.

Joana Marcos, lab technician 2019-2022 (former MSc student 2018-2019)

I studied the role of dopamine in modulating social learning in fruit flies. 

Joana defended her MSc thesis on December 2, 2019. Congratulations Joana!

Gonçalo Faria, PhD student 2015-2019 (former MSc student 2013-2014) 

Sexual selection and kin selection are both considered special cases of natural selection. However, both topics have developed almost entirely independently. In my research, I aimed to develop theoretical connections between these two theories. With such approach, I want to propose new hypotheses of evolutionary processes that could lead to future empirical research. I would also like to research topics related to cultural evolution and natural selection, allowing a more integrated approach to the evolution of individuals, populations and species.

Gonçalo defended his PhD thesis on August 15, 2019. Congratulations Gonçalo!

Inês Órfão, PhD student 2013-2018

During my PhD, I studied male intrasexual selection in guppies (P. reticulata). I was interested in understanding how males flexibly adapt their behaviour according to the information they extract from the behaviour of rival males when competing for access to females. Presently, I am working in conservation behaviour to help mitigate the impacts of invasive species. 

Inês defended her PhD thesis on September 13, 2018 . Congratulations Inês!

Salomé Clemente, PhD student 2013-2017

I studied reproductive heterospecific interactions, namely reproductive interference, in three species of spider mites Tetranychus spp. Reproductive interference is considered a strong ecological force, potentially leading to species exclusion.

Salomé defended her PhD thesis on July 19, 2017. Congratulations Salomé!

Marília Sargento, MSc student 2015-2018

I studied teaching behaviour in Papio hamadryas at the Lisbon Zoo. My aim was to understand under what circumstances the adults are more likely to teach, compared to when the cubs and juveniles learn by observation or by themselves. I am interested in applying my research to Conservation Biology, namely to animal welfare in Zoos.

Marília defended her MSc thesis on March 2, 2018. Congratulations Marília!

António Alexandre, MSc Student 2016-2017

My main areas of interest are animal behaviour and communication, primates and their tropical domains. During  my master's thesis, I studied wild Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelii) and their vocalisations. My focus was the complexity and diversity of their alarm calls in a secondary forest in Sumatra, Indonesia, and their relevance towards the conservation of a highly threatened primate species that experiences daily destruction and fragmentation of their habitat as well as poaching. I also esteem Education, Permaculture and Holistic approaches.

António defended his MSc thesis on November 27, 2017. Congratulations António!