CICASP | Center for International Collaboration and Advanced Studies in Primatology

I study the evolutionary history of mammals to better understand how their diversity is generated, maintained, or lost at various scales of time (hundreds to millions of years) and space (local to continental). I am also passionate about taking care of natural history collections that enable such research, and biology education.

Key words of my interest & research

-The generative circuit of emotion in the brain

-Emotional Disease (General Anxiety Diseases / Depression / Addiction)

-Approach-Avoidance conflict

-Nucleus accumbens and Substantia nigra

-Electrophysiology and DREADDs using viral vector 

I study the genetics of endangered animals to help practitioners devise efficient conservation strategies. Currently, my target species is the white-tailed eagle, which is considered endangered in Japan. Because the species is facing low reproductive success, mixing of populations from different regions might be needed in the future. The data generated by this research will give insights into the feasibility of such interventions.

My personal goal is to master various methodologies in conservation genetics and gain experience in working across different taxa of animals to have a holistic understanding, both in theory and practice, of preventing extinction from the genetic perspective.

Rhinos are one the largest living mammals in the world facing many risks driven by human activities, notably illegal trophy hunting. These iconic megafaunas are now living in small and fragmented sub-populations exhibiting poor reproductive ability and higher inbreeding, which threaten their survival. We can save this flagship species from the brink of extinction through collective efforts.

Kyoto University provides me with an exciting platform to study one of the critically endangered species of rhinos—the black rhinoceros—with a focus on understanding their current genetic diversity using captive individuals to generate scientific information that is crucial for their survival and conservation.

I am a behavioral ecologist working predominantly on the intersection between animal behavior and parasitism. My work has taken me to field sites in Central America, West Africa, East and Southeast Asia and even Antarctica, where I have studied mainly primates but also seabirds (penguins) and a few other animal species over the years. Students in my lab almost always combine field and laboratory work to enrich their experiences. I teach a variety of courses related to behavioral biology and am a strong proponent of critical thinking, analytical reasoning and the communication of science. I'm always looking for good people in my team, so don't hesitate to contact me or other members of my team if interested.

Why do we still want to be with and communicate with someone even when you can live by yourself? I have been having this question since my adolescence, which led me to study social interactions in group-living animals. I have been studying wild bonobos at Wamba, Luo Scientific Reserve, DR Congo since 2011. My research focuses on within-group female cooperation and aggregation, as well as social interactions across groups. I also started observing wild chimpanzees at Kalinzu forest, Uganda in 2016.

I am interested in how variations in host community composition influence parasite transmission, especifically to what extent parasites are shared across primate hosts (in contrast to being host-specific), whether parasites correlate with/ influence host community structure, and the relationship between habitat fragmentation and both primate and parasite biodiversity. To approach these questions, I am surveying (gastrointestinal) parasite community assemblages in a multi-host system of primates living sympatrically in the Kinabatangan River (Malaysian Borneo). Ultimately my research aims to enhance basic understanding of community level epidemiology involving primates and their parasites in current landscapes for application in wildlife health monitoring, conservation and management, and public health awareness related to parasite transmission between wildlife and human populations. 

How do animals living in environments where parasites are ubiquitous, avoid infection? With an evolutionary approach to hygiene and disgust, my research focuses on investigating parasite avoidance strategies in primates through field experiments, behavioral observations and parasitology. Better understanding infection-risk avoidance behaviors can have implications in both conservation and public health strategies by informing the design of interventions important in disease control. 

My research focuses on investigating the forms and functions of primate multimodal sexual communication: how multiple female traits may signal reproductive status and individual characteristics and thus modulate male and female mating strategies and sexual competition (from signal content to signal perception). While my previous work has taken me to study mainly non-human primates, my latest project focused on human sexual communication. Overall my research aims at better understand the evolution of sexual communication in primates.

My main interest has been in social and housing enrichment in primates, and how these can ameliorate stress in captive conditions. Although I prefer to see wild animals living in nature, I think it is also very important to study animals in captive environments and learn as much as we can from them. The previous experiences helped me to decide to dedicate my graduate studies in learning more about the primate’s natural behavior, what various factors can affect their stress levels, and how we can measure well-being in a non-invasive ways, for both captive and non-captive primates. In my future studies I plan to look at the primate’s stress levels in various housing conditions while looking at their behaviors, general biological functioning, and hopefully assess a clearer picture of their welfare status. Future plans also include studying wild populations in Japan and other countries in Asia.

Currently, my research interests include the study of signal systems in non-human animals, particularly vocal communication in non-human primates. My work integrates bioacoustics and cognitive ethology, and I mostly focus on the Macaca genus. I participate in an ongoing collaboration with Anhui University and Central Washington University at the Valley of the Wild Monkeys,China where longitudinal data is being collected on a free-ranging troop of Tibetan macaques. 

I’m generally interested in comparative cognitive science. My previous work was to investigate the understanding of a circular relationship in chimpanzees, our closest relatives, by training them the rule of the rock-paper-scissors game. I found some interesting response by chimpanzees to chimpanzee hands and human hands, and it led me to my current project: body perception in chimpanzees. Bodies are the direct agent of animals to explore and to interact with the environment. Bodies also convey important social cues. I’m interested in how animals (chimpanzees) perceive bodies, and their knowledge about body structures and body parts.

• PhD in Natural Sciences (Dr. rer.nat.), University of Göttingen & University of Strasbourg. Financial support: Volkswagen Foundation and Primate Conservation Inc.

title of thesis: “Social tolerance: novel insights from wild female crested macaques, Macaca nigra”,...

- Psychological bases of social bonding between conspecifics
- Social behavior and communication of horses
- Evolution of cooperative behavior
- Joint commitment process
- Unmanned aerial vehicles

Born and brought up in the Indian Himalayas, my research focuses on conserving this fragile ecosystem and the wildlife in it. My long-term research interests are behaviour, ecology, and conservation of primates living in the Himalayas. My PhD research is focused on understanding the social system and reproductive strategies of Central Himalayan langur (Semnopithecus schistaceus) in high altitude forests of  Western Himalayas, India. By Studying this primate species past four years in different forest types in the elevation range of 1,500 to 4,000 meters, I have developed core interest towards understanding their adaptation in harsh climatic conditions.

Socially transmitted behaviours form the basis of culture. I am especially intrigued by social and communicative cultural variation in non-human primates. My research involves empirical, behavioural studies on captive monkeys. I investigate primate social cognition, in particular social influence on social behaviours and traditions. Other avenues of research include vocalisations in common marmosets and improving primate welfare through enrichment.