My main interests revolve around the question of how the human social mind evolved, specifically in terms of what other species understand about conspecifics’ communication, social interactions and relationships. I have studied chimpanzees’ vocalisations in the Tai forest, Ivory Coast and chacma baboons’ social knowledge and social stress in the Okavango Delta, Botswana.

I am currently conducting a research program with the chimpanzees of the Budongo Forest, Uganda to determine the cognitive processes and indirect fitness consequences involved in maintaining one’s own as well as monitoring other’s social bonds. In conjunction with Dr. Roman Wittig, Prof. Klaus Zuberbühler and Dr. Tobias Deschner I am combining non-invasive hormone sampling with field experiments and observational data.