Erik Willems

Erik Willems is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Zurich, specializing in behavioral biology and spatial ecology. His research focuses on animal movement patterns, primate socio-ecology, and the evolutionary origins of cooperation and conflict. He employs GIS technologies, phylogenetic comparative methods, and field experiments to study topics such as orangutan socio-ecological variation, intergroup conflict in primates, and spatial memory in marmosets.

Teaching: BIO 209 'Discovering Statistics using R' emphasizes statistical analysis and phylogenetic methods. Research projects include the Inkawu Vervet Project and The Orangutan Network, alongside developing an R-library for analyzing simultaneous movement data.

Key research themes include geographical variation in primate behavior, bio- and phylo-geography of orangutans, and experimental studies on cooperation in non-human primates. Recent publications span topics from great ape communication to dolphin social networks and molecular insights into metallothionein function.

Collaborative efforts involve institutions globally, with active fieldwork in Borneo, Guinea, and Australia. His work bridges ecology, evolution, and conservation, addressing questions about animal behavior from both theoretical and applied perspectives.