Bart Kempenaers

Prof. Bart Kempenaers is a Professor at the Faculty of Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, and heads the Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence. His research investigates individual variation in birds through long-term field studies and molecular genetic approaches.

His core research areas include:

• Evolution of mate choice and sexual ornaments
• Maintenance of individual variation in natural populations
• Heterozygosity-fitness correlations and genetic diversity
• Sexual selection mechanisms and signaling
• Behavioral strategies in monogamous/polygynous systems
• Individual recognition and divorce dynamics

Prof. Kempenaers employs integrated methodologies combining behavioral observations in natural habitats with molecular techniques like microsatellite analysis and candidate gene approaches. His primary field site focuses on blue tits in a protected Bavarian oak forest using transponder technology for individual monitoring, while supplementary research involves house sparrows, red queleas, zebra finches, and Alaskan shorebirds including semipalmated and pectoral sandpipers. He actively contributes to doctoral training through the Graduate School Life Science Munich, a collaborative LMU-Max Planck initiative.