Alex is an Independent Research Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour. He is interested in how behaviour has evolved, what the adaptive value of behaviour is, and what the mechanisms that underlie behaviour are. He seeks to understand how the physical structure of behavior changes over evolutionary time, how conserved patterns of behaviour can take on new function, how social interactions are modified by current context, how animals perceive and cognitively process social cues, and how environments – both social and physical – change and are changed by behaviour. His lab borrows computational approaches developed for model laboratory systems and employs them in the wild – places like Lake Tanganyika, the Mediterranean Sea, Central American reefs, and tropical rainforests.
Research keyword: Animal behaviour, scuba diving, and AI
About the BEAKER STREET ROVING SCIENTIST PROGRAM
Each August, hundreds of Roving Scientists descend upon Hobart, filling up pubs and chatting to strangers as part of Beaker Street Festival. Discover a new world down the lens of microscope, and joining the least-boring bar conversations you’ve ever heard and these free (the chats – not the drinks) events.
For Scientists, Beaker Street’s Roving Scientist Program offers an excellent outreach, professional development, and networking opportunity. It’s the nerdiest and funnest way to share your research with the public, expand your network, and be inspired by leaders in all sectors of science and science communication.
