Mathias Osvath, PI

Associate Professor in Cognitive Zoology
Lund University
mathias [dot] osvath [at] lucs [dot] lu [dot] se

I am a cognitive zoologist that have focused a lot of my research on cognitive comparisons between birds and mammals, in particular corvids and great apes. These two groups share similar cognitive functions even in their most flexible and complex cognition. Among many things, they seem to understand both the physical and social world in similar terms, and they plan for the future, as well as show high levels of impulse control. They are so similar that corvids have been dubbed “feathered apes”. What is particularly fascinating is that mammals and birds shared a common ancestor 325 million years ago, and that birds are extant dinosaurs. The separate evolution of the similar cognition in these two lineages likely harbors many answers to principal questions on the nature of cognition. That is why deep time cognitive research is of essence. My well-grounded hunch is that we have underestimated the cognition of sauropsids, who might have displayed advanced cognition hundreds of millions of years ago. Perhaps it is not corvids who are feathered apes, but primates who are honorary birds?

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Helena Osvath, project coodinator

Research assistant
Cognitive zoology, Lund University
helena [dot] osvath [at] lucs [dot] lu [dot] se

I have been working as an assistant within several research projects at Lund University. At the Biology department I worked 10 years in a Linneaus environment focusing on animal migration, mainly with communication science towards the public as well as the research community. I also helped organizing symposiums, scientific meetings and internal gatherings. Currently  I am a research assistant in the cognitive zoology group at the department of Philosophy, where I for the past years mostly have been collecting experimental data on various animal species. I am also practically responsible for Lund University Corvid Cognition Station and the caretaker of the ravens living there.

In this project I will coordinate practical matters, manage the web page and also work with the animals.

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Stephan Reber

Researcher
Cognitive zoology, Lund University
stephan [dot] reber [at] lucs [dot] lu [dot] se

I am a zoologist with a particular interest in the evolution of behaviour. Most of my career, I focused on animal vocal communication and conducted playback studies with mammals, birds, and non-avian reptiles. Since 2017, I am also researching dinosaur cognition by comparing the cognitive skills of several palaeognath birds and American alligators. Overall, my goal is to identify the factors which drive the evolution of cognition by assessing the presence and extent of cognitive skills in different animal species in key positions on the phylogenetic tree. I am using innovative experimental approaches, adapted to the individual species’ abilities, in order to make the tests as comparable as possible. In recent years, I have specialized in crocodilian cognition. I am a member of the IUCN crocodile specialist group and the curator of the Lund University Alligator Research Station. 

I am a junior researcher on this project and the PI of a sister project studying the evolution of executive functions in the Archosauria. I plan, supervise, and conduct cognitive research on diverse bird, crocodilian, turtle, and lizard species.

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Thibault Boehly

PhD Student
Cognitive zoology, Lund University
thibault [dot] boehly [at] lucs [dot] lu [dot] se

I’m a doctoral student in cognitive zoology at the Department of Philosophy of Lund University since September 2021. I have a background in biology and ethology, and during my research career I worked on various aspects of avian cognition with model species coming from different taxa. The topics include courtship display in ring doves, social interactions in common ravens, and problem solving in parrots. Currently, I study the evolution of executive functions, a set of cognitive skills which notably includes inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. These skills allow animals to override their instinctive or automatic behaviours in order to provide a more thoughtful and appropriate response to a given situation. I will focus my work on the Sauropsid lineage, a clade which includes reptiles and birds, which should give us insights into the cognition of extinct dinosaurs.

In this project I will conduct cognitive zoology research, studying the cognition of animal subjects coming from closely related species of reptiles and birds.

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Simon Grendeus

PhD Student
Cognitive zoology, Lund University
simon [dot] grendeus [at] lucs [dot] lu [dot] se

I am a PhD candidate for the LUCS-zoology group. The aim of my PhD is to investigate the evolution of cognition in sauropsids, with a focus on fundamental cognitive skills. I am at present expanding on an experimental battery that started in the dinosaur cognition project to include other reptile groups than birds and crocodylians. I am also investigating the links between thermoregulation and cognition.

I have an unusual background for work with animals, having previously studied philosophy, linguistics, and cognitive science. I started my work with animals as a research assistant for the LUCS-zoology group, where I mainly worked with American alligators. I fell in love with them immediately and have since developed a great passion for crocodylians and reptiles at large. Furthermore, I am greatly interested in auditory cognition as well as issues relating to life-mind continuity.

Thomas Rejsenhus Jensen

PhD Student
Cognitive zoology, Lund University
thomas_rejsenhus [dot] jensen [at] lucs [dot] lu [dot] se

I am a PhD student in the Cognitive Zoology group at the department of Philosophy at Lund University. I am working with the evolution of social cognition in dinosaurs through comparative studies on palaeognath birds and crocodylians. As many others I was very interested in dinosaurs growing up and through my university studies in biology I developed a great interest in the behaviour and cognition of birds. I am now combining these two interests in my PhD with focus on fundamental social cognitive capacities of dinosaurs. Specifically, I am currently looking at the cognitive underpinnings of the evolution of preening behaviours, as well as social preference and individual recognition in alligators.

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Lona Lalić

Master Student
Cognitive zoology, Lund University
loona [dot] lalic [at] gmail [dot] com

My main research interest is in evolutionary biology, focusing on understanding animal behavior. With a background in biology and ethology, I initially joined this research team to conduct a master's degree project, where I studied the cognitive abilities of leopard geckos through various tasks. Continuing my work within the Deep Time Cognition project as a doctoral student, I aim to investigate the evolution of planning. 

Studies show that water-to-land transition led the evolution of planning, yet there is a notable absence of evidence of planning in non-avian sauropsids. With my project I hope to fill this gap and bring us closer to understanding when this ability evolved and how this is reflected in the evolution of brains. I believe these questions can only be broached with an interdisciplinary approach, which is why I am excited to be a part of this project.

Claudia Zeiträg

Associated member, PhD 
Department for Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University
claudia [dot] zeitrag [at] liu [dot] se

I did my PhD at the Cognitive Zoology Group at Lund University under the supervision of Mathias Osvath between 2018-2022. I am originally from Germany and studied Biology there. During a research internship in Tenerife, I discovered my fascination for animal cognition research, which motivated me to apply for a PhD position in Lund. My biggest research interest has always been the social lives of animals. To find out more about that topic, my doctoral thesis concerned the evolution of social cognition in archosaurs. In my dissertation project, I tested socio-cognitive skills of various palaeognath birds and American alligators to draw conclusions on extinct non-avian dinosaur cognition. Currently, I am a postdoc at Linköping University and am working on the effects of play on different cognitive domains in domestic chickens and the implications for welfare.

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