Julia Mörchen

Dr. Julia Mörchen is an Associated Guest Scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and the University of Leipzig's Faculty of Life Science. Her research focuses on the impact of migration on cultural evolution in great apes, including humans, examining social learning and cultural transmission in migrant individuals. She holds a PhD in Biology (Magna cum laude) from the University of Leipzig, supervised by Prof. Anja Widdig and Dr. Caroline Schuppli.

Education:

• PhD in Biology (2019–2024), Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Leipzig
• M.Sc. Biology (2013–2016), University of Hamburg
• B.Sc. Biology (2010–2013), University of Hamburg

Research Interests: Julia investigates how migrant and local individuals adapt behaviorally to migration outcomes. Her work links social integration, cultural knowledge transmission, and ecological/social competence in primates, with a focus on orangutan populations. She explores how dispersing males act as cultural vectors, aiding survival and reproductive success.

Advising & Grants:

• Supervised M.Sc. theses on orangutan ecological competence and dispersal behavior
• Organized courses on Primate Conservation and Behavioral Ecology at the University of Leipzig
• Project leader of the SORAYA Orangutan Project (www.suaq.org)

Labs/Teams: Active in the Research Group 'Primate Behavioral Ecology' at MPI and the Behavioral Ecology Research Group at the University of Leipzig's Institute of Biology.