Dr. Zoë Goldsborough
Researcher

I study animal behavior, with the aim to discover more about animals' experiences of the world around them and how we can improve their welfare.

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One of my current research focuses is how socially learned behavior – culture – can shape animals’ lives, interactions, and environments. I was awarded a Minerva Fast Track Fellowship by the Max Planck Society to start a research group on culture and social behavior at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior.

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In my work, I combine observational methods like camera traps with Bayesian statistical modeling and occasional field experiments. For my PhD, I investigated the only known population of stone-tool-using white-faced capuchin monkeys to better understand what drives the development of tool use. Other topics I work on (mostly in primates) are individual differences, communication, and animals’ responses to death.