I am an Assistant Professor of Social Cognition at the Faculty of Psychology and the Messerli Research Institute for Human-Animal Interaction, University of Vienna, and head of the Social Neuroecology Lab (lab website will follow soon).

My research programme focuses on understanding brain diversity, driven by the central question: what makes us social? Using a comparative framework, we investigate the fundamental principles underlying the neural mechanisms of social behaviour across diverse mammalian species, while exploring the factors that shape differences in brain organization. By integrating multiple non-invasive neuroimaging modalities, we study the evolution, structure, and function of the social brain to better understand how social behaviours emerge.

Our current research focuses on humans, dogs, and other carnivoran species, with the long-term goal of extending this approach to a broader range of mammalian lineages.

Key research terms:
social cognition & behaviour, evolution of the social brain, human–animal relationships, non-invasive comparative neuroscience, neuroimaging methods, open (neuro)science

You can watch a short video teaser about my group’s research or download my CV for a detailed overview of my academic journey, research experience, and publications.