Given my fascination for the manifold interrelations between animal cognition and animal ethics, I completed a BSc in Biology and a BA in Philosophy at the University of Vienna, Austria in 2021. I then specialized in animal (and human) cognition and human-animal interactions during my master’s studies: “Behavior, Neurobiology and Cognition” (University of Vienna, 2022), “Middle European Interdisciplinary Program in Cognitive Science” (University of Vienna and Eötvös Loránd University Budapest, 2023), and “Interdisciplinary Master’s Program in Human-Animal Interactions” (University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 2023). In my master’s projects as well as during several internships and short-term projects, I primarily investigated the cognitive abilities of domestic pigs, while also gaining some insights into the behavior and cognition of humans, ravens, ground squirrels and Japanese macaques. My PhD project at the University of Padua focuses on numerical cognition in young chicks and how it has been shaped by domestication and artificial selection. At the same time, I have maintained a strong interest for other cognitive domains such as self-awareness and human-animal communication.

Supervisor: Prof. Rosa Rugani