Dr. Lucy Aplin

Biography

Lucy Aplin is the head of the Cognitive Cultural Ecology (CCE) Group and holds a joint position as an SNSF Professor at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies at the University of Zurich, as well as a Senior Lecturer at the Research School of Biology at the Australian National University. Her research focuses on the interactions between cognition, sociality, and ecology, primarily in birds. She investigates the emergent properties of social networks, animal culture, and cultural evolution, exploring how social and environmental factors influence cultural change over time. Aplin's recent projects include the study of urban cultural ecology in sulphur-crested cockatoos and the social vocal complexity of monk parakeets. She closely examines social processes such as vocal convergence and the relationship between cognition and culture, particularly through comparative studies of various bird species. Aplin's academic journey includes a PhD from a joint program between the Australian National University and the University of Oxford, and she has previously held prestigious research fellowships, including at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour in Germany and St John's College at the University of Oxford in the UK.

Research Interests