Dr. Samara Danel: Unlocking Avian Minds
Tweet tweet! My name is Sam and I’ve just come back from the USA, where I completed a postdoctoral fellowship on African penguins’ cognition. It all started when I got my first feathered friend at 15 years old, which made me ‘coucou’ about birds. I did my PhD thesis on the evolution of cognition in pelicans and weaverbirds. Following that, I continued working on this fascinating question during my other postdoctoral fellowships. In parallel, I also developed cognition-related projects exploring, for instance, how humans can influence wild birds’ behaviour.
When I saw the opportunity to apply for a WiRe Fellowship, I was really happy and enjoyed preparing my submission. I was fortunate to get the support of Prof. Dr. Melanie Dammhahn from the Institute for Neuro- and Behavioural Biology of the University of Münster, with whom I aim to further understand whether and why the variable “sex” influences behaviour and cognition in birds. I am very grateful to the WiRe Fellowship Programme for providing me with its outstanding support, which allows me to juggle with my marathon in research and my family obligations.
In my free time, I rescue orphaned baby birds that belong to species despised by humans. I raise them and, when they are independent enough, release them! As an interspecific parent, I feel very relieved when I see them visiting me the next breeding season and building their own nests!
Host Institute: Institute for Neuro- and Behavioural Biology
Scientific Host: Prof. Dr. Melanie Dammhahn