Curriculum Vitae - Department of Zoology - University of Cambridge

Curriculum Vitae Markus Zöttl
Curriculum Vitae
Present Affiliation
Markus Zöttl
Austrian nationality, born 4 th of March 1983
18, Wheelers
Great Shelford
CB22 5UD
Cambridge, UK
mz338@cam.ac.uk
Tel.: +447879752106
Post-doc research associate at the University of Cambridge, Department of Zoology.
Research interest
My main research interest is the evolution and the maintenance of helping and seemingly altruistic
behaviour in animals. My interest originates from a deep fascination for animals and in particular for
animal behaviour and the attempt to understand why animals and humans behave as they do and
which forces and factors shaped the evolution of behaviour.
Academic Career
Aug 12 – on-going Research associate at the University of Cambridge.
Proximate and ultimate explanations for variation in cooperative behaviour in
eusocial damaraland mole-rats (Fukomys damarensis)
July 09 – Sept 12 PhD student, University of Bern
Title: “The social and ecological influence on commodity trading among group
members of cooperatively breeding fish”
Supervisor: Prof. Michael Taborsky
May – June 09 Field assistant, Flycatcher project, Öland (Anna Qvarnström, Uppsala University)
March 08 - April 09 MSc project, “Public information about secondary predator cue inspection in
meerkats (Suricata suricatta)” supervised by Marta Manser and Eva Millesi
July- Aug 07 Internship, Uppsala University: “Female wing patch predicts pairing status in
collared flycatchers (Ficedula albicollis)” (Supervisor: Anna Qvarnström, Uppsala
University)
May – June 07 Field assistant, Flycatcher Project, Öland (Anna Qvarnström, Uppsala University)
Jan - Oct 07 Student, Department of Animal Ecology, Uppsala University
2005-2007 Research assistant, Konrad Lorenz Institute for Ethology, mate choice in wild
house mice (Group leader: Dustin Penn, KLIVV)
2003 to 2009 Studies at the University of Vienna
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Curriculum Vitae Markus Zöttl
Publications
� Zöttl M, Heg D, Chervet N, Taborsky M: Kinship lowers alloparental brood care when helpers
pay to stay. (Nature Communications, in press)
� Zöttl M, Chapuis L, Freiburghaus M, Taborsky M: Strategic reduction of help before dispersal in
a cooperative breeder. (Biology Letters, in press)
� Zöttl M, Lienert R, Clutton-Brock T, Millesi E & Manser M (2013): The effects of recruitment to
direct predator cues on predator responses in meerkats. Behavioral Ecology, 24(1), 198-204.
doi:10.1093/beheco/ars154
� Townsend S W, Zöttl M & Manser M B (2011): All clear? Meerkats attend to contextual
information in close calls to coordinate vigilance. Behavioral Ecology & Sociobiology
doi:10.1007/s00265-011-1202-6
� Chervet N, Zöttl M, Schürch R, Taborsky M & Heg D (2011): Repeatability and Heritability of
Behavioural Types in a Social Cichlid. International Journal of Evolutionary Biology
doi:10.4061/2011/321729
Grants and Awards
2012 Travel grant, Swiss Zoological Society
2011 Promotion of Young Scientists by the Phil. Nat. Faculty, University of Bern
2008 Travel grant, University of Vienna
2008 Research stipend, University of Vienna
2007 Joint Study grant, University of Vienna
2007 ERASMUS stipend, outgoing, Uppsala University, Sweden
2006 Award for excellence, University of Vienna
Invited Talks
2011
� Department of Evolutionary Ecology, CNRS Montpellier, ”Kinship and pay-to-stay affect brood
care in a cooperative breeding cichlid”
� Department of Aquatic Ecology, Lund University, “Kinship and pay-to-stay affect brood care in a
cooperative breeding cichlid”
2009
� Konrad Lorenz Institute for Ethology Seminar, Vienna, “Benefits of secondary predator cue
inspection in Meerkats”
Contribution to international conferences
2012
PRODOC in Beateberg, Switzerland, “Negotiation over help in a cooperative breeder” (Oral
contribution)
ECBB in Essen, Germany, “Subordinates strategically reduce help in a cooperative breeder”
(Oral contribution)
ISBE in Lund, Sweden, “Acceptance of immigrants depends on demand and future perspectives
in a social fish” (Oral contribution)
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Curriculum Vitae Markus Zöttl
2011
� Behavior in Bloomington, USA, “Pay-to stay affects alloparental brood care in a cooperative
breeding vertebrate” (Oral contribution)
� ESEB in Tübingen, Germany, “Pay-to stay affects alloparental brood care in a cooperative
breeding vertebrate” (Essence poster; Nominated for the best Essence Poster)
� Biology in Zürich, Switzerland, “Sex-dependent growth and survival in a cooperative-breeding
fish” (Poster presentation)
�
2010
SEESs in Neuchatel, Switzerland, “Kinship and pay-to-stay affect brood care in a cooperative
breeding cichlid” (Oral contribution)
�
2009
ECBB 2010 in Ferrara, Italy, “The social domain of animal personality” (Oral contribution)
� IEC in Rennes, France, “Costs and benefits of recruitment calling to secondary predator cues”
(Poster presentation)
�
2007
Cooperation in Adelboden, Switzerland, “Costs and benefits of recruitment calling to secondary
predator cues” (Oral contribution)
� ESEB in Uppsala, Sweden, “Female wing patch predicts pairing status in collared flycatchers
(Ficedula albicollis)” (Poster presentation)
Peer Reviewing
Animal Behaviour, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, Ethology
Scientific Skills and Qualifications
� Advanced statistical skills in R and SPSS
� Working experience with large individual based data sets
� Experimental field work with fish, meerkats, house mice, flycatchers
� Data recording using Psion and the program Observer
� Handling and blood sampling of mammals and birds
� Capture-recapture techniques
� Bird ringing
Non-academic experience
2005 to 2007 Employment (20%) at the Zoo in Vienna (teaching section)
2002 to 2003 Education as paramedic, Civil service, St. Johns Ambulance
For references please contact
Tim Clutton-Brock; Post-doc Supervisor; thcb@cam.ac.uk
Michael Taborsky; Phd Supervisor; michael.taborsky@iee.unibe.ch
Marta Manser; MSc Supervisor; marta.manser@zool.uzh.ch
Eva Millesi; MSc Supervisor; eva.millesi@univie.ac.at