Marlen Kücklich

Marlen Kücklich is a Post-doc researcher at the University of Leipzig's Faculty of Life Science, Institute of Biology, and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology's Department of Primate Behavior and Evolution in Leipzig, Germany. She serves in the Research Group "Primate Behavioural Ecology" as a Scientific Assistant since December 2019.

Her educational background includes a PhD in Biology (2015-2019) from the University of Leipzig with dissertation titled "Olfactory fertility cues in primates," supervised by Prof. Dr. Anja Widdig. She earned her Master of Science in Biology (2012-2014) with focus on Neurobiology and Behavioral Ecology in Primates, and a Bachelor of Science in Biology (2009-2012) from Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg.

Kücklich's research centers on primate olfactory communication, particularly how females signal menstrual cycle states to males through chemical cues. Her work validates sampling techniques for mammalian odor collection and investigates fertility signaling in common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Current research focuses on verifying identified substances using chemical standards and determining their metabolic origins. Her publication record shows consistent output in high-impact journals including Scientific Reports, Proceedings of the Royal Society B, and Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, with recent 2025 papers extending her work to human olfactory fertility cues and capuchin monkey urinary signaling.

Her laboratory work operates within the collaborative framework of the University of Leipzig's Behavioral Ecology Research Group and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology's Department of Primate Behavior and Evolution, utilizing both field and laboratory approaches to analyze volatile compounds across multiple primate species.