Anja Widdig

Prof. Anja Widdig is a Professor of Behavioural Ecology at the University of Leipzig and a Bridge Professor between the University of Leipzig and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. She leads the Research Group 'Primate Behavioural Ecology' and the Junior Research Group on Primate Kin Selection. Her affiliations include the Department of Primate Behavior and Evolution at the Max Planck Institute and the Institute of Biology at the University of Leipzig. She is also Co-Director of the Macaca Nigra Project in Indonesia.

Education: Ph.D. in Ethology (Humboldt University Berlin, 2002), Diploma in Biology (focus Zoology/Ethology, Humboldt University Berlin, 1996), and undergraduate studies in Biology at Humboldt University Berlin (1990-1992) and the University of Edinburgh, UK (1993-1994).

Research Interests: Primatology, behavioral ecology, genetics of social behavior, primate conservation, olfactory communication, and the social dynamics of primates. Her work integrates field studies, genetic analysis, and experimental approaches to understand primate behavior and adaptation.

Publications (2020-2025) focus on primate social behavior, genetic relatedness, conservation, and cognitive abilities. Key themes include dominance hierarchies, reproductive strategies, and the impact of habitat changes on endangered species.

Awards: Emmy Noether Fellow (DFG, 2004), Katharina-Heinroth Prize (1997), and recognition in AcademiaNet (2010). She serves on editorial boards of journals like Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology and PLoS ONE.

Grants and Projects: Funded by DFG (Emmy Noether Programme), ERC, and the Leakey Foundation. Collaborations include the Macaca Nigra Project in Indonesia and the MacaqueNet initiative for comparative research.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Primate Behavioural Ecology group and collaborates internationally on projects like the study of crested macaques and rhesus macaques.