Ass. Prof. Dr. Barbara Klump (she/her)

Barbara Klump is a behavioural ecologist who received her Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from the University of St Andrews (UK). After postdocs at St Andrews (UK) and the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour (DE), she joined the department in 2023 as head of a WWTF Vienna Research Group for Young Investigators.

Her main research interest is how a species’ ecology and social structure shape its cognition and natural behavioural repertoire, particularly in an extractive foraging context. Her work focuses on large-brained, long-lived bird species – corvids and parrots – and investigates food processing, tool manufacture, safekeeping behaviours, social learning, and animal culture. Klump works in various habitats, from remote rainforests to major cities, and combines classic observations of wild animals with cleverly designed experiments and cutting-edge data collection and analysis techniques.

Website: https://barbaraklump.com/