Like humans, primates are highly social animals. They live in groups with multiple conspecifics and exhibit complex and diverse social behaviour. This social complexity supposedly selected for their relatively large brains. Yet how smart primates really are, and how they use this in their social behaviour is unclear. My research on primate behaviour employs behavioural observertions and non-invasive behavioural experiments to answer these questions.
The valorisation of this research is found in two fields: comparative research on social behaviour of primates and humans in collaboration with social scientists; and translating fundamental knowledge of the ecology of animal group living to the maintenance and reintroduction of wild animals in captive, semi-wild and wild environments. In addition, there is regular exposure in the media concerning biological explanations of (human) behaviour.