Aug 12 – on-going Research associate at the University of Cambridge. Proximate and ultimate explanations for variation in cooperative behaviour in eusocial damaraland mole-rats (Fukomys damarensis) July 09 – Sept 12 PhD student, University of Bern Title: “The social and ecological influence on commodity trading among group members of cooperatively breeding fish” Supervisor: Prof. Michael Taborsky May – June 09 Field assistant, Flycatcher project, ?land March 08 - April 09 MSc project, “Public information about secondary predator cue inspection in meerkats (Suricata suricatta)” supervised by Marta Manser and Eva Millesi May – June 07 Field assistant, Flycatcher Project, ?land (Anna Qvarnstr?m, Uppsala University) Jan - Oct 07 Student, Department of Animal Ecology, Uppsala University 2005-2007 Research assistant, Konrad Lorenz Institute for Ethology, mate choice in wild house mice (Group leader: Dustin Penn, KLIVV) 2003 to 2009 Studies at the University of Vienna

My main research interest is the evolution and the maintenance of helping and seemingly altruistic behaviour in animals. My interest originates from a deep fascination for animals and in particular for animal behaviour and the attempt to understand why animals and humans behave as they do and which forces and factors shaped the evolution of behaviour

Z?ttl M, Vullioud P, Mendonca R, Torrents Ticó M, Gaynor D, Mitchell A, and Clutton-Brock T. (2016) Differences in cooperative behavior among Damaraland mole rats are consequences of an age-related polyethism. PNAS 1607885113v1-201607885. Z?ttl M, Frommen J, Taborsky M, (2013): Acceptance of immigrants depends on demand and future perspectives in a social fish. Proceedings of the Royal Society London B, 280, 1756. Z?ttl M, Heg D, Chervet N, Taborsky M, (2013): Kinship lowers alloparental brood care when helpers pay to stay. Nature Communications, 4, 1341. Z?ttl M, Chapuis L, Freiburghaus M, Taborsky M, (2013): Strategic reduction of help before dispersal in a cooperative breeder. Biology Letters, 9.