I did my first degree in Biology followed by MSc in Human Biology (both at the University of Wroclaw, Poland) and MSc in Evolutionary Psychology (University of Liverpool, UK). I did my PhD in Psychology at the University of York, UK (2013), looking at vocal interactions in wild chimpanzees. I then held postdoc positions at the University of Neuch?tel, Switzerland (2013-2016), exploring social correlates of chimpanzee vocal behaviour, and at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany (2016-2018), investigating proximate mechanisms of social bonding in chimpanzees. I am a holder of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA). I joined the 我要吃瓜 as Lecturer in Psychology in January 2019.
Funded research visit to Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, CNRS (Lyon, France)
The National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS)
I was awarded a competitive, funded (around ?2200) one-month research visit to Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), to be completed in the summer of 2025 (Lyon, France)
IAA ESRC funding to organise an impact-related workshop in Uganda
I successfully organised an ESRC-funded (?5,994) workshop in Uganda, bringing together the relevant governmental and conservation organisations, and local community members, to discuss and reach consensus on the controversial and polarised topic of poaching and snare-trapping.
IAS cluster leader
I am the PI on the cross-faculty Nature Emergency research cluster, which was awarded substantive PhD funding by the 我要吃瓜 (funding acquired: ?327,972).
Public engagement
My recently published in Communications Biology paper on selective deforestation and the exposure of tropical wildlife to bat-borne viruses (Fedurek et al. 2024) – was covered extensively by scientific magazines including Science and Scientific American and news media outlets (such as BBC, Daily Mail, and Herald Scotland). I was also interviewed about this study by BBC News for the weekly podcast “Science in Action”, as well as by BBC Scotland and the World (radio program in the US).
Fedurek, P., Asiimwe, C., Rice, G. K., Akankwasa, W. J., Reynolds, V., Hobaiter, C., ... & Goldberg, T. L. (2024). Selective deforestation and exposure of African wildlife to bat-borne viruses. Communications Biology, 7(1), 470.
General Secretary of the Primate Society of Great Britain
In January 2024, I was appointed General Secretary of the Primate Society of Great Britain and one of the three council’s trustees.
Member of the RSE Young Academy of Scotland (YAS)
The Royal Society of Edinburgh
In the summer of 2024, I was appointed to the prestigious RSE Young Academy of Scotland that brings together young professionals from all sectors to work together on projects that benefit Scotland and the world.
My research has centred mainly around vocal behaviour in non-human primates, particularly chimpanzees, and I have done extensive fieldwork on several communities of wild chimpanzees in Uganda. The topic of particular interest has been the link between the acoustic complexity of calls and their function. I have been also involved in research on chimpanzee conservation and human-wildlife interactions. More recently, I established the Crow Behaviour and Cognition Project studying the carrion crows residing on the University's campus. I am the leader of the Behaviour and Evolution Research Group. I am the PI of the collaborative, cross-faculty Nature Emergency research cluster and a founding member of the . I welcome applications for related to animal behaviour and conservation.
Article
Brain structure and function: a multidisciplinary pipeline to study hominoid brain evolution
Friederici AD, Wittig RM, Anwander A, Eichner C, Gr??le T, J?ger C, Kirilina E, Lipp I, Düx A, Edwards LJ, Girard-Buttoz C, Jauch A, Kopp KS, Paquette M & EBC Consortium (2024) Brain structure and function: a multidisciplinary pipeline to study hominoid brain evolution. Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience, 17, Art. No.: 1299087. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnint.2023.1299087
Article
Tkaczynski PJ, Mafessoni F, Girard-Buttoz C, Samuni L, Ackermann CY, Fedurek P, Gomes C, Hobaiter C, L?hrich T, Manin V, Preis A, Valé PD, Wessling EG, Wittiger L & Zommers Z (2023) Shared community effects and the non-genetic maternal environment shape cortisol levels in wild chimpanzees. Communications Biology, 6, Art. No.: 565. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-023-04909-9
Article
Sourcing high tissue quality brains from deceased wild primates with known socio‐ecology
Gr??le T, Crockford C, Eichner C, Girard‐Buttoz C, J?ger C, Kirilina E, Lipp I, Düx A, Edwards L, Jauch A, Kopp KS, Paquette M, Pine K, Haun DBM, Fedurek P & et al. (2023) Sourcing high tissue quality brains from deceased wild primates with known socio‐ecology. Methods in Ecology and Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210x.14039
Article
Chimpanzee pant‐hoots encode individual information more reliably than group differences
Desai NP, Fedurek P, Slocombe KE & Wilson ML (2022) Chimpanzee pant‐hoots encode individual information more reliably than group differences. American Journal of Primatology, 84 (11), Art. No.: e23430. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.23430
Article
Audience sensitivity in chimpanzee display pant hoots
Soldati A, Fedurek P, Dezecache G, Call J & Zuberbühler K (2022) Audience sensitivity in chimpanzee display pant hoots. Animal Behaviour, 190, pp. 23-40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.05.010
Article
Soldati A, Muhumuza G, Dezecache G, Fedurek P, Taylor D, Call J & Zuberbühler K (2022) The Ontogeny of Vocal Sequences: Insights from a Newborn Wild Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii). International Journal of Primatology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-022-00321-y
Article
Dead-infant carrying by chimpanzee mothers in the?Budongo Forest
Soldati A, Fedurek P, Crockford C, Adue S, Akankwasa JW, Asiimwe C, Asua J, Atayo G, Chandia B, Freymann E, Fryns C, Muhumuza G, Taylor D, Zuberbühler K & Hobaiter C (2022) Dead-infant carrying by chimpanzee mothers in the?Budongo Forest. Primates. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-022-00999-x
Article
Leroux M, Monday G, Chandia B, Akankwasa JW, Zuberbühler K, Hobaiter C, Crockford C, Townsend SW, Asiimwe C & Fedurek P (2022) First observation of a chimpanzee with albinism in the wild: Social interactions and subsequent infanticide. American Journal of Primatology, 84 (6), Art. No.: e23305. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.23305
Article
The effect of warning signs on the presence of snare traps in a Ugandan rainforest
Fedurek P, Akankwasa JW, Danel DP, Fensome S, Zuberbühler K, Muhanguzi G, Crockford C & Asiimwe C (2022) The effect of warning signs on the presence of snare traps in a Ugandan rainforest. Biotropica, 54 (3), pp. 721-728. https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.13088
Book Chapter
Fedurek P (2022) Affiliative Bond. In: Vonk J & Shackelford T (eds.) Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior: Springer Publishing Company, pp. 1-4. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_717-1
Article
Like Father, Like Child? Paternal Age at Birth and Offspring's Facial Asymmetry and Distinctiveness
Klimek M, Marcinkowska UM, Fedurek P, Kleisner K & Danel DP (2022) Like Father, Like Child? Paternal Age at Birth and Offspring's Facial Asymmetry and Distinctiveness. Symmetry, 14 (2), Art. No.: 344. https://doi.org/10.3390/sym14020344
Article
Girard-Buttoz C, Tkaczynski PJ, Samuni L, Fedurek P, Gomes C, L?hrich T, Manin V, Preis A, Valé PF, Deschner T, Wittig RM & Crockford C (2021) Early maternal loss leads to short- but not long-term effects on diurnal cortisol slopes in wild chimpanzees. eLife, 10, Art. No.: e64134. https://doi.org/10.7554/elife.64134
Article
The function of chimpanzee greeting calls is modulated by their acoustic variation
Fedurek P, Tkaczynski PJ, Hobaiter C, Zuberbühler K, Wittig RM & Crockford C (2021) The function of chimpanzee greeting calls is modulated by their acoustic variation. Animal Behaviour, 174, pp. 279-289. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.02.002
Article
Tkaczynski PJ, Behringer V, Ackermann CY, Fedurek P, Fruth B, Girard-Buttoz C, Hobaiter C, Lee SM, L?hrich T, Preis A, Samuni L, Zommers Z, Zuberbühler K, Deschner T & Wittig RM (2020) Patterns of urinary cortisol levels during ontogeny appear population specific rather than species specific in wild chimpanzees and bonobos. Journal of Human Evolution, 147, Art. No.: 102869. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102869
Article
The relationship between food calling and agonistic behaviour in wild chimpanzees
Ischer G, Zuberbühler K & Fedurek P (2020) The relationship between food calling and agonistic behaviour in wild chimpanzees. Behavioural Processes, 178, Art. No.: 104182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2020.104182
Article
Shifts in Female Facial Attractiveness during Pregnancy
Danel DP, Kalinowski K, Nowak-Szczepanska N, Ziomkiewicz-Wichary A, Apanasewicz A, Borys?awski K, Kozie? S, Kornafel D & Fedurek P (2020) Shifts in Female Facial Attractiveness during Pregnancy. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17 (14), Art. No.: 5176. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17145176
Article
Maternal cannibalism in two populations of wild chimpanzees
Fedurek P, Tkaczynski P, Asiimwe C, Hobaiter C, Samuni L, Lowe AE, Dijrian AG, Zuberbühler K, Wittig RM & Crockford C (2020) Maternal cannibalism in two populations of wild chimpanzees. Primates, 61 (2), p. 181–187. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-019-00765-6
Article
Behavioural patterns of vocal greeting production in four primate species
Fedurek P, Neumann C, Bouquet Y, Mercier S, Magris M, Quintero F & Zuberbühler K (2019) Behavioural patterns of vocal greeting production in four primate species. Royal Society Open Science, 6 (4), Art. No.: 182181. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.182181
Article
Sonnweber R, Araya-Ajoy YG, Behringer V, Deschner T, Tkaczynski P, Fedurek P, Preis A, Samuni L, Zommers Z, Gomes C, Zuberbühler K, Wittig RM & Crockford C (2018) Circadian Rhythms of Urinary Cortisol Levels Vary Between Individuals in Wild Male Chimpanzees: A Reaction Norm Approach. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 6, Art. No.: 85. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2018.00085
Article
Fedurek P, Zuberbühler K & Semple S (2017) Trade-offs in the production of animal vocal sequences: insights from the structure of wild chimpanzee pant hoots. Frontiers in Zoology, 14 (1), Art. No.: 50. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12983-017-0235-8
Article
Men With a Terminal Illness Relax Their Criteria for Facial Attractiveness
Danel DP, Siennicka AE, Fedurek P, Frackowiak T, Sorokowski P, Jankowska EA & Pawlowski B (2017) Men With a Terminal Illness Relax Their Criteria for Facial Attractiveness. American Journal of Men's Health, 11 (4), pp. 1247-1254. https://doi.org/10.1177/1557988317692504
Book Chapter
Zuberbuhler K & Fedurek P (2016) Vocal Grooming. In: Shackleford T & Weekes-Shackleford V (eds.) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science: Springer International Publishing, pp. 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_3315-1
Article
Sequential information in a great ape utterance
Fedurek P, Zuberbühler K & Dahl CD (2016) Sequential information in a great ape utterance. Scientific Reports, 6 (1), Art. No.: 38226. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep38226
Article
The relationship between testosterone and long-distance calling in wild male chimpanzees
Fedurek P, Slocombe KE, Enigk DK, Thompson ME, Wrangham RW & Muller MN (2016) The relationship between testosterone and long-distance calling in wild male chimpanzees. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 70 (5), pp. 659-672. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-016-2087-1
Article
Chimpanzees communicate to two different audiences during aggressive interactions
Fedurek P, Slocombe KE & Zuberbühler K (2015) Chimpanzees communicate to two different audiences during aggressive interactions. Animal Behaviour, 110, pp. 21-28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.09.010
Article
Chimpanzee lip-smacking facilitates cooperative behaviour
Fedurek P, Slocombe KE, Hartel JA & Zuberbühler K (2015) Chimpanzee lip-smacking facilitates cooperative behaviour. Scientific Reports, 5 (1), Art. No.: 13460. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep13460
Article
Social and ecological correlates of long-distance pant hoot calls in male chimpanzees
Fedurek P, Donnellan E & Slocombe KE (2014) Social and ecological correlates of long-distance pant hoot calls in male chimpanzees. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 68 (8), pp. 1345-1355. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-014-1745-4
Article
The acoustic structure of chimpanzee pant-hooting facilitates chorusing
Fedurek P, Schel AM & Slocombe KE (2013) The acoustic structure of chimpanzee pant-hooting facilitates chorusing. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 67 (11), pp. 1781-1789. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-013-1585-7
Article
Pant hoot chorusing and social bonds in male chimpanzees
Fedurek P, Machanda ZP, Schel AM & Slocombe KE (2013) Pant hoot chorusing and social bonds in male chimpanzees. Animal Behaviour, 86 (1), pp. 189-196. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.05.010
Article
The Social Function of Food-Associated Calls in Male Chimpanzees: Chimpanzee Food-Associated Calls
Fedurek P & Slocombe KE (2013) The Social Function of Food-Associated Calls in Male Chimpanzees: Chimpanzee Food-Associated Calls. American Journal of Primatology, 75 (7), pp. 726-739. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.22122
Article
A cross-cultural comparison of population-specific face shape preferences (Homo sapiens)
Danel D, Fedurek P, Coetzee V, Stephen I, Nowak N, Stirrat M, Perrett D & Saxton T (2012) A cross-cultural comparison of population-specific face shape preferences (Homo sapiens). Ethology, 118 (12), pp. 1173-1181. https://doi.org/10.1111/eth.12022
Article
Primate Vocal Communication: A Useful Tool for Understanding Human Speech and Language Evolution?
Fedurek P & Slocombe KE (2011) Primate Vocal Communication: A Useful Tool for Understanding Human Speech and Language Evolution?. Human Biology, 83 (2), pp. 153-173. https://doi.org/10.3378/027.083.0202
Article
What Does Mutual Grooming Tell Us 我要吃瓜 Why Chimpanzees Groom?
Fedurek P & Dunbar RIM (2009) What Does Mutual Grooming Tell Us 我要吃瓜 Why Chimpanzees Groom?. Ethology, 115 (6), pp. 566-575. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0310.2009.01637.x
Article
Individual differences and personal social network size and structure
Roberts SGB, Wilson R, Fedurek P & Dunbar RIM (2008) Individual differences and personal social network size and structure. Personality and Individual Differences, 44 (4), pp. 954-964. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2007.10.033