Martin Surbeck

Martin Surbeck is a Guest Researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology's Department of Human Behavior, Ecology, and Culture. He serves as Director of the Kokolopori Bonobo Research Project in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), collaborating with the Bonobo Conservation Initiative. His research focuses on reproductive strategies, male competition, and social behavior in bonobos, particularly comparing them to chimpanzees. Surbeck established the Kokolopori field site in 2016, enabling study of neighboring bonobo communities' intergroup interactions.

He holds a PhD from the University of Leipzig (2011) and prior degrees from the University of Zurich. His comparative approach explores evolutionary pressures through Pan species comparisons, collaborating with researchers like Christophe Boesch and Catherine Crockford. Supported by grants from the Leakey Foundation, Wenner-Gren Foundation, and others, his work emphasizes conservation and ecological sampling through bonobo feeding patterns.

Surbeck has received the Förderpreis des Förderkreises des Deutschen Primatenzentrums. His research bridges field studies with endocrinological and genetic analyses, investigating topics like oxytocin's role in sociality, tool use variability, and maternal social dynamics. Current projects include analyzing intergroup tolerance, vocal complexity, and leveraging thermal imaging for non-invasive bio-signal retrieval.