PhD student

Current research

• Social relationships are a central determinant of fitness in animal societies, yet their role in shaping male life-history trajectories remains incompletely understood.
• In rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), social interactions are highly structured, emerging from patterns of affiliation, kinship, and cooperation rather than random association.
• These networks are known to influence survival, access to resources, and reproductive success. However, the extent to which variation in the quality and extent of male–male social bonds predicts longevity and reproductive outcomes remains an open question.
• This work investigates the social behavior of male rhesus macaques in the free-ranging population of the Caribbean Primate Research Center at Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico, leveraging approximately 14 years of longitudinal demographic and behavioral data to quantify grooming and spatial proximity and characterize male social networks.
• The project tests how factors such as age, social rank, and female availability shape formation and persistence of male–male relationships and whether these relationships translate into measurable fitness benefits.
• The aim is to quantify social fitness gradients in male mammals, clarify the role of male–male bonds in the dispersing sex, and advance theory on sociality, selection, and life-history evolution.
• Educational and professional background relevant to the PhD program is provided: PhD studies at University of Leipzig and MPI EVA, MSc in Environmental Science, BSc in Biology with Wildlife Management, and related work experience and funding.