Barbara Klump

Barbara Klump is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology at the Faculty of Life Sciences. Her research focuses on animal behavior, tool use, and cognitive ecology, with a particular emphasis on corvids, sea otters, and cockatoos. She investigates how animals innovate, adapt tools, and interact within ecological and social contexts.

Her work spans behavioral innovation, bioacoustics, and conservation biology. Notable projects include studying tool use in New Caledonian crows and sea otters, analyzing vocalization synchronization through the callsync R package, and exploring the cultural spread of foraging techniques in urban parrots. Klump also examines human-animal interactions, such as innovation arms races in urban environments and LGBTQIA+ inclusivity in wildlife research.

Recent studies highlight tool use’s impact on dental health in sea otters and the context-dependent kin relationships in cockatoos. Her research integrates computational tools (e.g., deep learning for signal detection) and field experiments to uncover mechanisms behind animal cognition and adaptation.

Klump has secured funding for projects like the Land Conservancy of New Jersey Environmental Scholarship and the Interplay between Cognition and Ecology in Extractive Foraging Behaviors. Her contributions span over 15 peer-reviewed articles and include collaborations with international teams.