Julia Fischer

Julia Fischer is Professor for Primate Cognition at Georg-August-University of Göttingen and Head of the Cognitive Ethology Laboratory at the German Primate Center in Göttingen, holding this joint appointment since 2004. Her research centers on nonhuman primates' cognition, communication, and social behavior, with field studies of Guinea baboons at the Simenti site in Senegal to investigate primate social evolution.

Her educational background includes:

• PhD in Biology from Free University Berlin (1996)

Fischer's research integrates behavioral biology, evolutionary anthropology, and cognitive science to examine primate communication systems and social structures. Her work at the Simenti field site in Senegal has revealed unique aspects of Guinea baboon social organization that challenge conventional models of primate evolution. She emphasizes experimental approaches to probe natural behavior, focusing on how cognition and communication shape social dynamics in wild primate populations.

Her scientific honors include:

• Grüter Prize for Science Communication (2013)
• Member of Die Junge Akademie (Young Academy)
• Vice President of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Science
• Member of the Göttingen Academy of Science

Fischer has secured over €10 million in research funding and leads the Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition and the DFG research training group 'Understanding Social Relationships'. She mentors a collaborative 'friendly lab' environment where open dialogue and teamwork drive research on primate social cognition. Her group maintains long-term field studies in Senegal while fostering interdisciplinary connections across the Göttingen Campus.

She heads the Cognitive Ethology Laboratory at the German Primate Center and actively builds cross-disciplinary networks through initiatives like the Leibniz ScienceCampus, creating synergies between evolutionary biology, neuroscience, and behavioral ecology to advance primate cognition research.