Jessica Zwarg

I completed my B.Sc. (2020–2023) and M.Sc. (2023–2026) in Biosciences at the University of Münster, focusing both of my theses on animal personality in the field of behavioural ecology. For my Bachelor’s thesis, I investigated individual exploratory behaviour in common voles across different contexts. For this project, I spent the duration of my experiments at the Gülpe Field Station in Brandenburg, Germany. Building on this work, my Master’s thesis examined individual differences in exploration in relation to sociality and the exploration–exploitation trade-off. In addition to investigating the behaviour of common voles across different social contexts, I expanded my methodological skill set by assessing physiological stress responses through measurements of faecal corticosterone metabolites.

" Emotional contagion and sympathetic concern in Barbary macaques"

Emotions and emotional contagion may be an important mechanism through which social environments influence individual behaviour. In my PhD, I investigate sympathetic concern in a free-ranging population of Barbary macaques at Affenberg Salem by combining behavioural observations with physiological measures using infrared thermography. How does an individual’s emotional state influence its subsequent behaviour and interactions with others? By looking at the interplay between emotional and affective states, physiological responses, and social behaviour, I aim to better understand how emotions shape interactions between individuals and, ultimately, the social life of Barbary macaques.

I have always been fascinated by how social information is transferred between individuals and how it influences behaviour and personality. I am particularly interested in why animals, from small rodents to primates, behave the way they do and in the mechanisms underlying their individual choices and decision-making processes. Now, I am excited to explore these questions from a new perspective by studying emotional contagion in Barbary macaques using methods such as infrared thermography.

• Aug. 2023 - Behaviour 37th International Ethological Conference, Bielefeld, Germany (attended)
• Feb. 2024 - Annual Meeting of the Ethological Society, Münster, Germany
  ⁃ Exploring exploration: How general are individual differences in exploration behaviour? (poster, presenter)
• Feb. 2026 - Annual Meeting of the Ethological Society, Grünau im Almtal, Austria
  ⁃ Partners in exploration: individual differences in exploration across contexts of sociality (poster, presenter)
  ⁃ awarded travel grant
• Mar. 2026 - JICE Masterclass, “Promotion of interdisciplinary research on individualisation” (attended)
• Jul. 2026 - 20th International Society for Behavioural Ecology (ISBE) Congress
  ⁃ Of foraging and friends: Individual differences in exploration across contexts of exploitation and sociality (poster, presenter)
• Member of the Ethologische Gesellschaft e.V.