Çağlar Akçay

Çağlar Akçay is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Life Sciences at Anglia Ruskin University, part of the Faculty of Science and Engineering. He holds a PhD in Animal Behavior from the University of Washington, alongside an MA in Cognition and Perception and a BS in Biology and Psychology from Middle East Technical University. His research focuses on behavioral ecology, particularly the evolution of animal communication and social cognition in songbirds. He investigates how animals adapt to anthropogenic environments, including effects of urbanization on signaling and aggression.

Key research areas include animal communication systems, social interactions mediated by vocal signals, and the impact of environmental changes on behavior. He leads the Bird Lab, studying the interplay between communication and social behavior in birds, with projects on Darwin’s finches and song sparrow territorial dynamics. His work emphasizes field studies combined with experimental approaches, such as acoustic manipulations and observational tracking.

• Member of the Behavioral Ecology Research Group
• Recipient of Turkish Science Academy Early Career Fellowship (2019-2021)
• Teaching responsibilities include BSc programs in Animal Behaviour and Zoology, and an MSc in Animal Behaviour Applications for Conservation

Recent publications highlight topics like survival processing effects in memory, avian behavioral plasticity in urban settings, and the role of acoustic signals in territorial disputes. His interdisciplinary work bridges ecology, cognition, and conservation, with a focus on translating findings into wildlife management strategies.