Corinne Ackermann

My broad interest lies in the evolution of sociality, social learning, culture, communication and cognition. I am particularly interested in species that are thought to show high level of social and cognitive complexity, such as cetaceans and primates. To get more insights on the evolution of social complexity in these taxa, I favor an approach that combines different methods from behavioral ecology and molecular genetics.

MSc in Biology / Anthropology, University of Zurich, Switzerland, 2008

BSc in Biology, University of Zürich, 2007

“Contrasting vertical skill transmission patterns of a tool use behaviour in two groups of wild bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.), as revealed by molecular genetic analyses“, Master thesis, submitted to the University of Zurich, Switzerland, July 2008 .

• van Noordwijk, M.A., Arora, N., Willems, E.P., Dunkel, L.P., Amda, R.N., Mardianah, N., Ackermann, C., Krützen, M. & van Schaik, C.P. (in press) Female philopatry and ist social benefits among Bornean orangutans. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology.
• Arora, N., van Noordwijk, M.A., Ackermann, C., Willems, E.P., Nater, A., Greminger, M., Nietlisbach, P., Dunkel, L.P., van Schaik, C.P. & Krützen, M. (in press). Parentage-based pedigree reconstruction reveals female matrilineal clusters and male –biased dispersal in non-gregarious Asian great apes, the Bornean orang-utans (Pongo pygmaeus).
• Ackermann, C., Lindholm, A. & König, B. (in prep). Opportunity for sexual selection in house mice (Mus domesticus).
• Kopps, A.M., Ackermann, C., Sherwin, W.B., Allen, S.J., Mann, J., Connor, R.C., Heithaus, M.R., Bejder, L., Schmidt, R. & Krützen, M. (in prep). Social, ecological and genetic factors influencing the sponging behaviour in bottlenose dolphins.
• Kopps, A.M., Sherwin, W.B., Allen, S.J., Ackermann, C. & Krützen, M. (in prep) Cultural hitchhiking leads to fine-scale genetic structure in bottlenose dolphins in Shark Bay, Western Australia

• Ackermann, C & Lindholm, A. Parental assignment in a wild house mouse (Mus domesticus) population, 2° annual house mouse meeting, Zurich 2010
• Ackermann, C. & Krützen, M. Contrasting vertical skill transmission patterns of a tool use behaviour in two groups of wild bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.), GöZü Workshop, Göttingen 2009
• Ackermann C. & Krützen M. The Shark Bay Spongers; Material culture in Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.), Versammlung Schulz-Stiftung, Zurich 2008
• Ackermann, C. & Krützen, M. The Shark Bay Spongers; Material culture in Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.), GöZü Workshop, Zurich 2008

• Laboratory Assistant/Technician, Anthropological Institute, University of Zurich;
  Diverse molecular genetics projects on apes, monkeys and dolphins, 2008-present
• Research Assistant, Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich;
  Opportunity for sexual selection in house mice (Mus domesticus), 2010-present
• Field Assistant, Cape Town, South Africa;
  Behavioural studies and playback experiments on wild chacma baboons
  (Papio hamadryas ursinus), 2009
• Field Work (Master’s Thesis), Shark Bay, Western Australia;
  Collecting behavioural data and biopsy samples of wild bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.), 2008