skip navigation: go to the content.

 

Curriculum Vitae

Born 28th of May 1980 Böblingen, Germany

Current position

Since August 2010 Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Primatology, Leipzig, Germany.
Postdoctoral fellow: Measurements of: salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol in saliva of great apes to establish a stress marker,
C-Peptide in urine of great apes for energetic output, DHEA-S in urine of bonobos to investigate adrenarche.

Education

January 2007 – March 2010 JUSTUS-LIEBIG-UNIVERSITY GIESSEN
PhD, magna cum laude.
"Influence of different keeping conditions of the behavior and stress hormones in zoo housed gorilla (Gorilla g. gorilla), Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii) and pygmy chimpanzees (Pan paniscus)"
September 2000 – March 2006 JUSTUS-LIEBIG-UNIVERSITY GIESSEN
Diplom Biology
Major subjects: Animal physiology, Anthropology and Microbiology
Title: “Enriching the life of zoo housed Western Lowlandgorillas (Gorilla g. gorilla) at Frankfurt Zoo“

 

Relevant professional experience

June – July 2010 ST. ANDREWS UNIVERSITY
Volunteer involved in observation and experimental studies with chimpanzee, squirrel monkeys and capuchins.
Learning NODLUS observer software.
October – January 2010 UNIVERSITY ZÜRICH and FRANKFURT ZOO
Scientific project in cooperation with Dr. Thomas Geissmann, Anthropological Institute, University Zürich-Irchel, Switzerland.
Title: “Self-cover behavior in Primates“
March 2006 – January 2007 JUSTUS-LIEBIG-UNIVERSITY GIESSEN
Scientific project
Title: “Investigation of the regurgitation and reingestion behavior in three zoo housed great ape species (Gorilla g. gorilla, Pongo abelii, Pan paniscus “
Since January 2008 ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY FRANKFURT (ZSF)
Graduate assistance
  • Support for the project “Naturschutz-Botschafter” (“Environment Ambassadors”)
  • Public and press relations
  • Marketing and Fundraising
May until June 2009 FRANKFURT ZOO
Trainee-Assistant
  • Animal management
  • Public and press relations
March 2007 – March 2010 JUSTUS-LIEBIG-UNIVERSITY GIESSEN
Graduate assistance
  • Support and management of courses: Institute of animal physiology, working group Ethology
  • Support and management of Diploma and Bachelor theses
2006 – 2010 UNIVERSITY OF VETERINARY MEDICINE VIENNA, Austria
Hormon analyzing in apes saliva with an Enzyme-Immuno-Assay (EIA) as well preparing fecal samples for EIA.
  • Institute of Biochemistry, University of veterinary medicine, Prof. Dr. Erich Möstl
August 2006 FRANKFURT ZOO
Zoo veterinary trainee
  • Keeping and nutrition in zoo animals, surgery, endoscopy, parasitology and preparation of animal transport
August 2003 OPEL-ZOO, Georg von Opel-Freigehege für Tierforschung e.V. (Georg von Opel outdoor enclosure for animal research)
  • Trainee animal keeping, keeping and care of ungulates, monkeys, carnivores, birds and pets

 

Vocational training

February 2010 EUPRIM-NET, Network Activity 4, German Primate Center, Göttingen
  • “Course of essential“ (inter alia diversity, social behavior, communication, nutrition, parasites in primates), 1.-4. February 2010
2008 EUPRIM-NET, Network Activity 4, German Primate Center, Göttingen
  • Course 3: “Primate nutrition“, 4.-7. February 2008
  • Course 4: “Stress and its implication on primate welfare”, 13.-16. October 2008
2007 EUPRIM-NET, Network Activity 4, German Primate Center, Göttingen
  • Course 1: “Primate diversity, morphology and natural history”, 16.-19. April 2007
  • Course 2: “Primate behaviour, environmental enrichment and ethical aspects”, 29. October – 1. November 2007
February 2007 DOCTORATE PROGRAMME OF GERMAN ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY (DZG)-PROFESSIONAL GROUP BEHAVIOR BIOLOGY, Göttingen, German Primate Center and University Göttingen
28. February 2007 BASIC WORKSHOP: ANIMAL-TRAINING, Frankfurt Zoo
24. January 2004 INSITUTE OF ANTHROPOLOGY, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen
Primate ecology course
2003 – 2004 JUSTUS-LIEBIG-UNIVERSITY GIESSEN
“Methods for animal experiments for biologists “ to obtain a license for laboratory animal science
Summer 2003 JUSTUS-LIEBIG-UNIVERSITY GIESSEN
Student assistance, Institute for General and Special Zoology
  • Cell biology and cell culture methods
  • Analyzing with Immunohistochemistry

 

Volunteer Work

Since 2010 RETTET DEN DRILL e.V. (Society for the prevention of drills)
Media officer
2. leader
June 2009 FRANKFURT ZOO and ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY FRANKFURT
Volunteer, “Gorilla Symposiums“
Year of the Gorilla, 9.-11. June 2009
2007 – 2009 FRANKFURT ZOO  “Dreamnight at the zoo”
Volunteer
September 2008 ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY FRANKFURT
Volunteer, conference: “Making Conservation Count/ One Goal with Different Approaches to Making Parks Work“
2007 ASSOCIATION OF GERMAN ZOOKEEPERS
Member of the “Working group Madagascar“, Association of German zookeepers (BDZ) for EAZA- Madagascar- Campagne